


How to date my daddy

by Ghost__cat



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe, Falling In Love, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Idiots in Love, Idiots to idiotic lovers, M/M, Minor Franky/Nico Robin, Minor Nami/Nefertari Vivi, Romance, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Tattoo artist Law, daddy!Law, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:40:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 67,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23416108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghost__cat/pseuds/Ghost__cat
Summary: Luffy is crushing instantly on the handsome stranger when he first lays eyes on him. Too bad he is a father of a young girl and therefore out of his reach, right?The little girls seems to have something different in mind though.In other words: Law is a daddy and his daughter is the best wingman.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 354
Kudos: 683





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo I don't really know where I'm going with this story yet. I just really wanted to write Law as a father. Don't judge me.
> 
> Anyway... I hope you enjoy!

„Will you stop it already?! I’m serious Luffy, these are for the customers, not for you!“

Ugh honestly why does Nami always have to be so loud? Even early in the morning she nags about _everything!_ So what if Luffy wants to eat a cupcake, he’s hungry after all. Okay, to be fair, he is always hungry. But they just look so delicious! And now that’s not Luffy’s fault, is it? Plus, they’re made to be eaten and there’s still a whole lot more for the customers, Nojiko always makes more than enough of these yummy baked goods. So if Luffy eats one, that’s not gonna hurt anyone, right?

Well, Nami clearly disagrees.

“I’m a customer too, Nami”, he tries to reason, “and I’m really, really hungry!”

The redhead just huffs as she points a long nail right at Luffy’s chest. “You are _not_ a customer, Luffy. You’re an employee, and if you want your paycheck you have to stop eating the goddamn pastries.”

Yeah okay, she’s right. He’s here to work and earn some money not to eat and relax. But still. Honestly, they should just pay him in muffins and cookies that would be the best thing in the world. And they probably would if he asked them. Sadly you can’t pay your rent with baked goods though, so that’s out of the question.

Because Luffy doesn’t want to live on the street, thank you very much. And he struggles with paying his rent as it is. It’s hard to live alone while still going to college but unfortunately Sabo, one of his brothers, is currently living at the other end of the world due to his job. He would’ve liked to live with him a lot. To live with Ace, his other brother, is not possible either as he just moved in with his boyfriend.

There’s always the option to move back in with his gramps of course. But Luffy is sure he’d rather live under a bridge than to live with his grandpa again. After all as soon as Ace had announced that he would move in with Marco, Luffy started searching for his own apartment.

He loves his gramps, don’t get him wrong. But living with him is hell. With Ace there it was bearable, but just the two of them? Luffy shudders at the mere thought. It’s enough that he calls him almost every day just to talk about one thing and one thing only: that Luffy should go to the police academy. Because according to gramps there’s only one career good enough for his grandchildren. _Ugh_ as if!

So _naturally_ , after he failed with his other two grandchildren, he has to bug Luffy at every chance he gets. _Guess what gramps, bad news for you, that’s not gonna happen._

That’s why he moved in his own small apartment two months ago. But no matter how small, it’s still expensive as hell, at least for Luffy’s standard. His family helps him out of course but he wants to earn money himself.

Luckily he has great friends!

Nami had offered him to help out in her mothers’ coffee shop, ‘The Pinwheel’. Bellemere, the owner, is really cool, Luffy likes her a lot and it’s thanks to her and Nami that he even has this job. She is a former police officer but had to quit due to an almost fatal bullet wound. He remembers that this time was really hard for the little family. Nami and Nojiko almost lost their adoptive mother that year and they were struggling to make ends meet on top of that as well.

After recovery Bellemere decided to open this little coffee shop. It was her dream for a long time anyway and she didn’t have to worry about her daughters ending up as orphans anytime soon in this profession. To the sisters this was a huge relieve and they both helped their mother as much as they could. And they succeeded! ‘The Pinwheel’ became very popular pretty fast. It’s more of an insider tip but the customers that come in are very loyal. 

Bellemere named the shop after Genzo, a close friend to the family and her partner as a police officer, who died a few years ago while in duty. His trademark was a pinwheel that he always had attached to his hats. Hence the name. Nami had told Luffy that he started to wear it because she would always cry when she saw him as a little girl. Until the day he showed up with a little pinwheel in his hand. That was the first time she laughed at him and he wore it ever since. Luffy remembers the fond smile on his friend’s lips, as she had told him the story, like it was yesterday.

The three are happy now with their lives. Bellemere and Nojiko work fulltime in the little shop while Nami helps out whenever she can. Luffy is very happy for them. They managed to build something for themselves after going through so much.

And he loves to work here too. It’s a rather small coffee shop but the atmosphere is very relaxing. They put very much love into the décor as well and it pays out. Once someone discovers ‘The Pinwheel’ the people tend to come back often. Maybe because Bellemere and her daughters are very good bakers and the sweets are always freshly made. The customers gush over how good the coffee is as well. Not that Luffy would know, he despises the bitter beverage. But as long as it attracts customers he’s more than happy.

So, yes, he’s really grateful that Nami got him this job. But he really could do without her bitching at him at ass o’clock on a nice Saturday morning.

Luffy pouts at her, knowing that it will work. She can be very mean from time to time but she also has a soft spot for Luffy. Not that he would take advantage of that. Expect maybe now, because he really wants that goddamn cupcake!

“Okay fine.” She finally surrenders. “Eat the damn thing. But hurry up, we have to open now. I’m going to check if Nojiko needs some help in the kitchen. Can you unlock the door please?”

“Sure!” Luffy beams a smile at her. “You’re the best, Nami!”

She rolls her eyes as she walks toward the kitchen to assist her sister but Luffy spots a soft smile on her lips too.

-

Satisfied with his delicious breakfast, Luffy makes his way to open the door. Just as he has turned the shield to ‘open’ and wants to move behind the counter he hears the doorbell ring, followed by a high pitched scream. 

“I want a cookie!!!” is all Luffy hears, right before something tackles him onto the ground. He lands on his back with a loud ‘oof’.

“Lami! Can you _please_ behave already!”

Still on the floor and a little perplexed he registers a second voice. It’s nothing like the girly one from before, no, this one is deep and rich.

“You’re not getting anything if you keep acting- oh my god! Are you okay? I’m so sorry!”

A man steps into his vision, offering him his hand and… _oh good lord and everything that’s holy!_ Luffy must have a concussion because there’s no way the man standing in front of him is real. No way! He looks like he jumped straight out of one of those fancy fashion magazines, with his tall frame and tanned skin. The shirt he’s wearing is unbuttoned just enough for Luffy to see inked skin underneath. _That has to be illegal._ Gold eyes stare at him in concern. God this man is _gorgeous_ , what the fuck!

“Are you okay?” he asks again and Luffy snaps back into reality, taking the hand still held out to him.

He assures him that he is okay, avoiding to look directly at the handsome man. Because he is sure he’s going to faint if he sees these intense eyes again. And fuck, his face feels warm. He’s blushing like a schoolgirl who has just talked to her crush and is squealing about it to her friends now. How embarrassing…

He looks up after all, only to realize the man’s eyes are not on him. Instead he glares at a little girl standing right next to them, scolding her for running around without paying attention. Ah, that must be the culprit for his ungraceful fall then. She beams at the guy, clearly unbothered with the situation and giggles happily.

“I want to apologize for my daughter’s behavior. I don’t know what’s gotten into her really, she’s excited ever since she got up…”

Luffy wants to say something, that it’s no problem at all and that he’s fine when he feels a small hand tug at his apron.

“We’re going to the park today and that’s always lots of fun! But daddy said he needs his coffee first, which is bleeh but daddy gets really grumpy when he doesn’t drink it, so we came here and he promised me a cookie and…” She blabbers on and on and on and probably would not stop at all if it weren’t for her father picking her up and shushing her. 

“Okay, okay pumpkin, enough harassing the nice young man for one day, hm?” He kisses her cheek sweetly and god, someone help him, the sight does _things_ to Luffy. Not only is he fucking handsome but an adorable father as well. And probably happily married too. What a cruel world.

“I’m really sorry. Can I maybe buy you a coffee as an apology?”

And fuck, that sounds like he’s asking him out on a date and…no! Luffy has to get a grip. He’s working at a damn coffee shop, so he just wants to get him a free coffee here. Nothing more. _Get it together goddamnit_

Oh and he should probably take his order too. Man he seems to not function at all around this guy.

“No, no it’s quite all right really. I’m fine and besides that I can’t get mad at such an adorable little girl,” Luffy tells him while smiling at the young girl.

She’s really cute though, with her round face, big eyes and cute little nose. Good looks must run in the family. Her mother’s presumably a super model too. She has to be, to get her hands on such a gorgeous man.

The man sighs loudly. “Yeah, that’s pretty much the story of my life.”

Luffy smiles at him. If the girl is always as energetic as right now it must be really a handful to raise her. But they seem like a happy family with how smitten he seems to be with her. And the little girl too. Her big hazel eyes are filled with adoration as she looks up at her father.

“What can I get for you and the little whirlwind, sir?”

He orders a large coffee to go, black without sugar, for himself and a strawberry cookie and a bubble tea for his little girl, at which she cheers of course. While he makes the coffee, Luffy can hear the little girl blabber gleefully. Busy with the coffee machine he’s not paying much attention to what she says until…

“You’re a pretty boy,” she giggles, “I like the scar on your face. So cool! I think my daddy finds you very pretty too!”

Luffy almost drops the hot cup of coffee at this. He feels the heat creep up his face; he’s pretty damn sure his head already looks like a tomato.

“Oh my god, Lami!” the man scolds her then turns to Luffy. “I’m so sorry. Please just ignore her.”

Yeah right, ignoring sounds good to Luffy. Because he really can’t say _‘Tell me your daughter is right and that you do think I’m pretty!’_ Nope, better keep his mouth shut. So instead he just smiles a blinding smile at him and tells him the total of his order.

While the tall man fishes the cash out of his wallet Luffy notices that his hands are tattooed as well and that his fingers are _very_ long and nice looking. Luffy gulps. He has to scold himself; it’s not okay to have inappropriate thoughts about a probably married family father, especially with his little daughter right there. Bad Luffy, stop it!

The handsome stranger hands him the cash and just as Luffy is about to tell him that it’s too much the man starts to speak, holding up his finger to stop Luffy from saying anything.

“Get yourself something sweet,” he fucking winks at him, “for all the trouble.”

“I insist.” He adds right before Luffy can protest.

“All right then, thank you very much sir. I wish you both a wonderful day in the park.”

The man thanks him and apologizes one last time before he picks up his little girl. Luffy can only stare at them as they leave the shop. “Bye bye pretty boy!” the girl shouts right before the door falls shut.

Wow. That was… something.

Luffy feels like he’s able to breathe properly again for the first time since he got knocked on the floor, his face is still warm and he’s a bit shaky on his legs. Now, Luffy never thought much about love at first sight, didn’t really believe in it, but the butterflies in his stomach tell a different story.

Great, now he’s crushing on a total stranger who he will more than likely never see again.

When he turns around he spots Nami, standing there with her eyebrows raised high, almost touching her hairline, a smug smirk on the lips.

“What was _that?_ ”

Luffy sighs long and overly dramatic.

“Hell if I know…”

-

It turned out that Nami was standing there for quite some time to see the interaction between the two men. How neither he nor the attractive customer had noticed her Luffy really didn’t know.

She teased him the whole day about it too, especially since Luffy couldn’t focus at all, dropping things more than once. Normally the redhead would be furious about it but in this situation she found it to be more than amusing. Luckily, with how busy their day was, she hadn’t had too much time to make fun of him.

But as soon as they are closing for the day and are currently cleaning up the counter, she seems to think that now is her chance.

“Sooo,” she starts. _Ah shit, here we go._ “I couldn’t help but notice that you were a bit… hmm how should I say it…” She fakes to think about it, her expression way too over the top. “A bit absent maybe and even clumsier than usual. And I can’t help but wonder…” She pauses for a dramatic effect. _Oh c’mon!_ “If it could have possibly anything to do with that good looking customer we had this morning?”

Why are they friends again?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Luffy doesn’t even look at her, pretending to be busy with the dishwasher. Shit luck that he is a really bad liar. Nami sees right through his façade.

“Oh c’mon, Lu. You were staring at Mr. Tall, dark and handsome as if you were about to rip off your clothes and jump him right on the spot.”

He’ll deny the blush on his face until the day he dies. To hell with her and her way too smug smirk.

“And he did too, you know.”

Luffy perks up at that, his ears burning.

“First of all, he did not look at me in any way.” She raises a single eyebrow at him but stays silent. “And second, so what if I think he’s very attractive. You saw his daughter too, he’s probably married and it’s not like I’ll ever see him again.”

“Oh, I think I know who you’re talking about.” Nojiko pipes in, stopping her task of putting the chairs onto the table for a moment. “A tall man with dark hair, tattoos and rather grumpy looking, right?” Nami and Luffy both nod at her. “Ah yes, he’s very handsome, looks a bit like a gangster if you ask me, with his piercings and tattoos, but that only adds to the good look, I suppose. He comes here pretty regularly, though. I’m surprised you haven’t seen him before.”

Well, Luffy’s only working at ‘The Pinwheel’ for a little bit over a month and he didn’t really pay much mind to the customers until today, but this man he would’ve noticed for sure. But he’s a regular apparently which is just… great. Luffy’s not sure how long his poor heart will be able to take it if he sees him more often from now on.

“Do you know if he’s married?” Nami asks her sister.

She furrows her brows in thought for a second. “I’m not sure to be honest. I’ve never seen him come in with a woman though. Only with friends and his daughter once in a while. Cute little girl.”

“Ha!” Nami slams her fist down on the counter and grins as if she just won the argument. “So not married then.”

Luffy shakes his head. Can you believe this woman?

“We don’t know that for sure, Nami.” He sighs. “And even if he’s not, that doesn’t mean he’s into men at all.”

“Yeah, yeah think whatever you want Lu, but I know what I saw. I could have cut the air, it was so thick with how much sexual tension there was going on between you two. Just wait and see.”

Trust Nami to make what is meant to be encouraging, to somehow making it sound like a threat. The glint in her eyes definitively does not bode well, that’s for sure.

-

As Luffy’s finally made it home he feels utterly exhausted. That, however, does not stop him at all from turning around in his bed until early in the morning. Normally sleep comes easy to him; all it takes is for his head to hit the pillow and he’s out like a light. Tonight’s different though, he tosses and turns and every time he closes his eyes he sees the attractive stranger starring at him intensely. And fuck, that’s not normal, is it? How can he crush so hard on a man that he only met and doesn’t even know the name of? Hell, he didn’t even talk to him properly at all; he just made a great first impression by falling on his ass like an idiot and served him as it was his job. But Luffy can’t help it: his face has etched itself into his brain with no indication to leave anytime soon.

When he finally falls into a restless sleep he dreams about long, tattooed fingers and golden eyes.

-

Luck is not on his side. Or maybe it is. Because after he just finished a group of teen girls’ orders, he hears a familiar voice. “Wuhuuu pretty boy is here again!” Luffy smiles down at the tiny girl as he watches her jump up and down in excitement. “Hello little whirlwind. Here to tackle me onto the floor again?”he greets her. She grins at him, shaking her head. “Noo mister that wasn’t on purpose I swear…oh! Daddy told me to say sorry for that by the way. So… sorry.” What a cute little angel. Doesn’t matter to Luffy that the apology doesn’t sound sincere even in the slightest.

“Hello again.” Ah, there it is, the deep voice he was anticipating the second he spotted the little girl. Luffy’s heart skips a beat as soon as his eyes land on the tall man. _God, he is so fucking hot._

“It’s nice to see you again so soon. Lami wouldn’t stop pestering me until I finally agreed to come here. She seems to have taken a liking to you.” Lami, he finally catches her name, nods enthusiastically at every word of her father.

“Yeah, yeah! I wanted to come here again because I have to ask you something. It’s suuuuper important!”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“I need to know your name, mister. I’m asking for my daddy because he wants to know, even though he won’t admit it.”

Luffy eyes her father with raised eyebrows, face already flustered again. The stranger shoots him a bashful smile, laughing quietly.

“I don’t know where she’s got that idea from but might as well introduce myself. I’m Trafalgar Law and this little rascal here,” he points at the girl, “is my daughter Lami.”

Great, now Luffy has a name to the face he can’t stop fantasizing about. Peachy.

He takes the hand offered to him. It feels large, compared to his much smaller one, and warm. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy.”

Lami tugs at her father’s pants to get his attention. “His name is Luffy, daddy. What a pretty name!” He laughs at her softly, the sound of it churning Luffy’s stomach. “Yes I heard him, pumpkin. A pretty name indeed.” 

Luffy is about to respond something, if his voice is even capable of that at the moment, when he sees Nami approaching them from the corner of his eyes. _Oh no…_

“Oh Luffy~,” she cooes, ”it’s time for you to take your break.”

Yeah sure Nami, it’s not like he just came back from his break like ten minutes ago. Very smooth.

Lami perks up at that. “Ohh you should come sit with us Mister Luffy!”

Law looks at his daughter, terrified. “Lami you can’t just invite people like this. He’s probably not even in-“

“I wouldn’t mind!” Luffy interrupts way too fast, practically shouts it, and bites his lower lip right after the words left his mouth, as if to hinder himself from saying more stupid shit. He could swear Law’s gaze lingered on his mouth maybe a bit too long at the action. _Great start Luffy, that came out way too pushy,_ he curses himself.

“I mean,” he clears his throat and tries again. “I would like to, if you don’t mind.”

Law’s easy smile sends his heart into frenzy as he tells Luffy that he doesn’t mind at all. Wait. This isn’t happening, is it? Maybe he did get a concussion the other day and is now hallucinating or some shit. But no, he’s here and just got invited by this walking wet dream to sit and drink a coffee with him. Oh no, he’s not prepared for this _at all._

“All right.” He tries to sound nonchalant, he really does, but fails miserably. “Oh, I should probably take your order first.”

“That’s not necessary,” Nami chimes in. Ah shit, he forgot that she’s still standing there. “You can go and take a seat, I’ll bring you your order.” She looks at them as if her evil plan to take over the world was just set in motion. Only thing missing is for her to start laughing like a villain from a superhero movie. And honestly, Luffy wouldn’t even be surprised if she actually did start laughing like a maniac. Oh, she’s going to get an earful later, _just you wait._

After telling Nami their order, they make their way over to one of the comfy leather couches ‘The Pinwheel’ has to offer. Lami jumps in her father’s lap and he places a sweet kiss on the top of her head. Seriously, do they have to be so goddamn cute?! That’s not fair at all!

They sit in awkward silence at first, while waiting for their drinks. Luffy is normally pretty loud to be around with, always laughing and doing crazy stuff, but something about the man’s presence makes him feel all self-conscious and shy. It’s like those gold eyes stare right in his soul. It makes him feel vulnerable and somewhat giddy. But not in a bad way, though.

“So,” Law’s the first one to break the silence. “How long have you been working here? I come here fairly often because the coffee’s very good but I haven’t seen you around at all before yesterday.”

“Ah, only for about a month or so. And only when I don’t have class. I’ve known Nami over there for a long time and her mother’s the owner. That’s how I got the job in the first place,” he explains.

“Class?” Law looks at him a bit taken aback. “You go to school? How old are you?”

“I’m nineteen. I go to the grand line college currently.”

“Ah, I see,” his tensed up muscles relax visibly and he lets out a sigh as if he was relieved. Why exactly, Luffy’s not sure.

“I go to school too!” Lami sings out happily. “And my daddy draws pretty things on people’s skin,” she adds while beaming at her father. He laughs lightly at her. “Yes pumpkin, I draw on people’s skin,” then says to Luffy: “I own a tattoo studio. Not too far from here actually.”

Oh, that makes sense. 

“Wow, you’re a tattoo artist? And have your own studio?”

Law smiles at him smugly and nods his head in agreement.

“There are many people who look at my dad in a funny way because he has these drawings on him. But these people are all stupid because I think they look really cool!”

Yeah Luffy can imagine that. People are always quick to judge someone. And yes, Law does look a little dangerous with his pierced ears and tattooed hands and his general rather dark appearance. But even though Luffy does not know him at all, he can tell that he is a genuinely good guy from the mere interactions with his daughter he has seen so far.

“Yeah some people are really stupid, you’re right. But not me, because I think that they are really cool too!” The little girl beams at that. It’s obvious how much she adores her dad and it’s heartwarming to watch, really.

“Do you have more tattoos?”

That’s probably not an appropriate thing to ask a complete stranger but he just can't help it, he’s way too curious. The ones Luffy can see are the ones on his hands, forearms and the one only slightly visible on his chest. Luffy couldn’t help but want to find out if there would be more inked skin to discover…

Law seems to not mind the question at all. “Yeah, on my upper arms and one on the back.”

_Oh, I really want to see them…!_

Wait, did he just say that out loud? Judging from how Law looks at him with his eyebrows raised, he realizes in horror, that yes, he indeed did say this out loud! The implication of what this statement could mean hanging heavy in the air. Luffy wants to fucking punch himself in the face.

“No stripping in here,” Nami chimes in as she sets their drinks down in front of them. Great timing Nami. She eyes Law for a second. “On second thought, you totally can strip, that would probably attract some customers. Today’s a rather quiet day.”

Law gawks at her and shakes his head slightly in disbelief. That’s Nami for you, always saying what she’s thinking. Not that Luffy’s better. Clearly not, as he just implied that he wanted a man, he knows for about 5 minutes, to strip. His friends always tell him that he needs a filter between his brain and his mouth. He couldn’t agree more right now.

“Sooo, are you going to the park again today?” He tries to change the topic and Law is nice enough to let his slip-up be ignored, to which Luffy is thankful. He still wants to see the tattoos though.

“No we’re going to visit grandpa today. He’s the best grandpa in the whole world!”

The little girl is totally unfazed by the previous conversation; she probably didn’t even pay them any mind only sipping on her juice happily as soon as Nami had handed it to her. Now her excitement is back in full force.

Law rolls his eyes at her, “Yeah of course because he’s always pampering you.”

Luffy wishes he could say the same about his gramps. But the only thing he was ‘pampering’ him and his brothers with was his so called ‘fist of love’. He taught them how to take care of themselves and shit like how to survive alone in the middle of nowhere, which is okay, it made them all tough. But he would’ve liked to get some sweets or toys from him instead from time to time. They had been just children after all.

They talk about nothing in particular after that. Luffy tells them a few stories of the adventures he and his friends had experienced together, how Zoro always got lost and they had to search for him in a forest for hours on a camping trip. Or how Usopp always told the wildest tales to impress Kaya, the girl he likes. Lami is absolutely thrilled with his stories, clapping and laughing along with Luffy. And even though Law looks shocked at most of what Luffy tells them and makes comments like ‘that could have gone terribly wrong, you know?’ and such, even he couldn’t help to smile softly at the craziness that is Luffy and his friends. He even laughs out loud at some of the particularly ridiculous stuff. It makes Luffy all warm inside, that he is the reason for the other man to laugh so heartily. He catches himself thinking that he could listen to this beautiful sound forever.

Law’s really easy to talk to too, with his cool demeanor and laid-back attitude. He seems very smart and eloquent. The exact opposite of Luffy. Not that he is dumb, he just doesn’t really think about what he says and can be very naïve and childish. Not like the man in front of him, who radiates maturity and confidence. But what do they say: opposites attract.

And attracted he is for sure, if the butterflies throwing a party inside his belly are anything to go by.

He learns that Law is 26 years old and thus had Lami at a really young age. But even though it wasn’t easy, he wouldn’t exchange her for the world. Luffy doesn’t dare to ask him about the mother, way too scared to find out that they are indeed a happy family. He suddenly feels as if he’s an intruder at the thought.

Well it’s not like this will go anywhere. They just had a nice talk, nothing more. And he is content with that, is what he tells himself, even though he knows exactly that it is far from the truth.

-

He would like to talk to them more but unfortunately he has to go back to work now and they have to leave too. Luffy offers to pay for their drinks but Law shuts him down immediately. 

“Ah, c’mon you gave me a way to generous tip already the other day.” He pouts at him and hears Nami giggle at them as Law seems to have an inner meltdown at Luffy’s pouting face. Must be a hard life with his daughter if cuteness is his kryptonite.

“No, no that’s out of the question. You’re young and need the money.” He ponders for a moment then adds: “If you want to get even you can bring me a coffee to my studio sometime. It’s just down the street.” He shoots him a cocky smirk. Luffy could swear his heart will jump out of his chest at any moment at how _goddamn_ attractive it makes him look.

“I can do that, yeah.”

They smile at each other for a moment and it feels as if time just stopped and the world around them disappears. Nami clears her throat loudly after a while. It brings them out of whatever… _that_ was and back into the real world. They both look away, embarrassed. Luffy’s cheeks heat up like they seem to do constantly around the tall man. _God, he must think I’m an idiot!_

“Mister Luffy,” Lami gets his attention, “I have to tell you a secret!”

He leans down to her eye level and nods. “Sure, little whirlwind. What is it?”

She whispers in his ear and his eyes widen in shock. His face is burning and his heart beating so loudly, he is sure everyone can hear it. When he gets back up his head is swimming.

Law eyes him suspiciously. “What did she tell you?”

“I can’t tell you,” he avoids looking at Law, face still red. “It’s a secret.”

He huffs at Luffy but doesn’t press any further. He’s probably going to interrogate her about it later, though.

-

They say their farewells after that. Lami waves him goodbye as they leave and Luffy can only stare at the door even long after they’re out of eyesight. He can only barely register that Nami is trying to get his attention.

“Hello? Lu, are you even listening to me?!”

“Mhm… yeah sure.”

“Oh my god, Luffy…”

_“It’s rare for my dad to smile so much. I think you’re special. Thank you, Mister Luffy!”_ Lami’s words stuck in his head. 

He lets out a shaky breath he didn’t even realize he was holding as he looks at his friend.

“Yeah, Nami. I know…”

He’s got it way too bad already...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I really want to thank you guys for leaving kudos and such nice comments on the first chapter!  
> It's really encouraging me to write more even though I have to admit it can be quite exhausting. Seriously I think I googled the difference between 'these' and 'those' like five times and I'm still not sure if I get it lul  
> At one point I will just type in 'how to english'.
> 
> Sorry for the rant, it's past midnight and my brain has stopped working.
> 
> Anyway... I'm having very much fun with this story, so I hope you enjoy the second chapter!

A week has passed since he’s last seen Law. Even though he’s on summer break and thus working almost every day at ‘The Pinwheel’, the reason for Luffy’s countless restless nights hasn’t shown his face at all. And he’s sulking because of it.

He tried not to think about him, okay. He really did. It’s just not working at all. So much to the point Luffy started to think that he may be cursed with crushing on this goddamn man for the rest of his life.

His sulking started to take a toll on his friends too, Luffy knows that. Even Nojiko’s patience is wearing pretty thin at the moment, which is rare. She’s pretty laid back most of the time, hardly ever bothered by anything. But when Luffy got to work after his day off and the first thing he had asked her was if Law had been here, she just stared at him for a good minute and then just walked away without ever answering his question. Probably to stop herself from slapping him.

Nami was a whole different story of course. She just couldn’t believe that Luffy hadn’t asked Law for his number and made sure to tell him so. Multiple times. And in a… let’s say not very nice way. They had this conversation literally _ever day._

“You know,” Ah, it starts again. “If you had just asked him for his number, you could be texting him hearts and shit right now instead of getting on our nerves!”

Now, that’s not fair at all, he literally didn’t say anything. He wanted to, more than once, but bit his tongue every time, at this point quite scared of Nami’s rage, and instead had just let out heavy sighs. Apparently that’s all it takes to upset her.

As if she’s reading his thoughts she adds: “You don’t have you say anything. The miserable face you’re making right now is enough to piss me off.”

“Nami, don’t be like that. Give him a break.” Bellemere, bless her soul, is the only compassionate person around here as it seems. “The poor boy got it really bad. Be a bit more understanding, dear.”

Nami makes a face at her mother. “Oh please mum. You’re as done with his bullshit as we are. You’re just too nice to say anything!”

Luffy wants to remind her of the time she was unsure if her now girlfriend Vivi returned her feelings. She was a mess back then just as Luffy is now. But he bites his tongue. He knows better than to poke a dragon.

Luffy knows he’s acting ridiculous. It’s just… this is all new to him. At age 19 he is still unkissed, never cared enough about these kinds of things to change it. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to try it, there was just never anyone he actually could see himself experiencing kissing and having sex with. Sure, he’s had a few small crushes here and there but nothing big. So, to say he is overwhelmed with the current situation would be a big understatement. Plus the man responsible for his misery is way out of his reach, which doesn’t make it any easier.

“You say this, as if it would be so easy!” He snaps at her, frustrated with how Nami thinks it’s all his fault. Can’t she see that there is no way for Law to be interested in him? They just had this ‘little date’, as Nami calls it, because his eight year old daughter suggested it and Luffy jumped at the chance, giving Law no way to decline without seeming rude. And that’s the exactly the situation, no matter what sparks she thinks she has seen between them. He tried to get this into her head many times over the week but stubborn as she is she wants to hear none of that.

And yes, they may have gotten along well but that does not have to mean shit! If anything they can become friends maybe. Which would be great too of course, Luffy loves to make new friends, it’s just… he thinks for once that it wouldn’t be enough for him.

Even if Lami had told him that he was special for making her dad laugh and the words stuck in Luffy’s head almost constantly, that didn’t mean anything either. Hell, she’s a little girl. He should probably take her words with a pinch of salt instead of getting his hopes up.

“He would not have given me his number anyway…,” he mutters meekly. Almost hoping Nami wouldn’t catch it. But luck is not on his side. Again.

The redhead stares at him as if he’s grown two more heads.

“Luffy, you know I love you but I have to ask you this. Are you stupid?”

Shaking her head in disbelief she lets out a long, heavy sigh, as if she’s completely done with the whole debate. _Yeah, me too._

“Why don’t you listen to me for once in your life? That’s not too much to ask, is it? Just once!” Grabbing him by the shoulders, Nami shakes him lightly to get her point across loud and clear. “His daughter is not the only one smitten with you. I don’t know why you can’t see that.”

Luffy, on the other hand, doesn’t get how Nami can be so absolutely positive that there is something going on between them. Yes, he knows that he’s already too far gone for a man he knows nothing about. And he thinks, no he _knows_ , that they would be so good together. And maybe that sounds crazy because he doesn’t know shit about Law and vice versa but… Luffy can’t really describe it, there was this tension between them.

However, that’s just Luffy’s point of view. And even if there’s a chance that Law had felt the same… _whatever_ , realistically speaking they live very different lives. Law is mature, seems to have his life under control and he is a father for fucks sake! What could he want from a 19 year old with literally zero experience?

Sex maybe. But for Luffy that’s out of the question. He’s not one for meaningless sex. Not even if he’s the hottest man he had ever laid eyes on. And okay, he may be a bit of a hopeless romantic in this regard but Luffy would like his first time to be with someone special. With someone who cares about him and doesn’t just want to get his dick wet.

Deep in thought he completely misses that Nami is tapping furiously on her phone, only to shove it in his face after she is done typing, snapping him forcefully out of his thoughts.

“Ah! Nami, I can’t see shit like this!”

She pulls her hand back a little, so that he can look at the screen properly. He looks at her confused as he sees a location opened in her browser.

“What’s this?”

“The address of his tattoo studio.” He looks at her with eyes the size of saucers. “Was easy to find with his full name. Your shift is almost over. Go there and bring him a coffee, like he suggested you to do.”

“Are you crazy? I can’t just do th-“

“You will go there or _so god helps me!_ ”

The tone in her voice leaves no room for an argument as she practically screams at him, startling even the customers who just want to drink their coffee in peace.

Luffy doesn’t even try to argue after that.

-

**“Heart Art – Tattoo Studio”**

Luffy’s not sure for how long he’s been staring at the letters in front of him. His hand is gripping the door handle firmly, the other holding a cup of coffee. At least a few minutes must have passed because the coffee is not steaming anymore but still warming his skin though. What exactly he’s waiting for, he’s not sure. For a miracle to happen, perhaps. Which is bullshit of course.

Or maybe he’s just waiting for his legs to stop shaking and his heart to stop beating so loudly. He’s just so goddamn insecure right now.

It’s almost funny actually, because confident is a word many people use to describe him. And he is, because he really can’t care less about what people think of him. At least that's usually the case, now he’s far from confident and he wishes that he at least had changed his clothes before coming here. Which is honestly so out of character for him that it frustrates him even more. Luffy knows that he isn’t ugly; people told him he’s attractive before, he’s heard it from his friends of course but also from strangers too. He never really cared much about his looks though.

Now that he is right in front of the studio, which belongs to the man haunting his dreams, he feels more than plain in his red shirt and blue shorts. His sandals are worn out and he’s sure his shirt has holes in it somewhere. It’s his trademark look and he feels very comfortable in them normally. Comfortable is pretty much the opposite of what he’s feeling now, though. He’s self-conscious and it bugs him because he never had to deal with these feelings up until this point. It makes him want to go home and act as if he’s never come here in the first place.

He decides against it. Nami would make sure that no one ever would find his body.

He gathers his courage and opens the door, stepping in carefully.

The first thing he notices is the interior of the studio. The walls and furniture are held in a deep black with some ornaments in a bright yellow color. It gives the studio a high class look. Luffy thinks it suits Law perfectly, it’s very stylish.

The man in question is spotted easily, sitting there, busy with cleaning his tools. He’s wearing a gray low-cut muscle shirt and Luffy almost faints at the sight. The shirt shows off his body and his tattoos just perfectly. He’s muscular but not too much, definitively well toned and he probably works hard for his body.

Luffy is very fit himself but that surely doesn’t stop him from appreciating a hot body when he sees one. He knows he’s staring but seriously how could he not? Fortunately Law has his head turned away from him. He probably hadn’t heard the door open which gives Luffy more time to gawk at the handsome man. Taking advantage of being unnoticed Luffy lets his eyes wander over Law’s tall frame, only to stop at his shoulder. Prominent black lines are decorating the skin there, forming a heart, and Luffy suddenly forgets how to breathe, his eyes glued to the inked skin. That’s one he hasn’t seen before.

“Yeah that’s not what I said at all but okay.” Law speaks but clearly not to Luffy. He realizes only now that Law has his phone pressed against his ear, held in place with his shoulder to have his hands free. He sounds pissed off, irritation clear in his voice. “Yeah, yes… It’s fine… I said it’s fine what more do you want to hear?! Yeah… yeah bye.” He puts the phone back in his pocket and Luffy’s sure he hears him mutter “bitch” while doing so.

Only then he notices the younger man who is still standing by the door, smiling awkwardly at him. His eyes widen in surprise and he stands up, walking towards the teen. “Luffy? Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. What are you doing here?”

Luffy shifts awkwardly where he’s standing until he notices the cup still held firmly in his hands. Remembering why he’s here in the first place he holds the, at best lukewarm, beverage out to the tall man, encouraging him to take it.

“Ah, here. I brought you a coffee.”

Law takes the cup out of his hand with an incredulous look on his face. “You really didn’t have to do this you know, I was only joking. But I appreciate it, it’s just what I need right now.” Luffy’s sure that the soft smile on his lips would melt even the coldest person’s heart in an instant without a doubt.

“Ah sorry by the way that you had to hear this conversation. That was Lami’s mother and she can be a real bitch.” He shoots him an apologetic look and Luffy feels his stomach sink at the mention of her.

“Oh no, no it’s fine. I should apologize, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” The teen tries to smile at him but he knows that he is terrible at faking literally anything. He looks more like he just bit into a lemon instead of the easy smile he tried to go for. “Trouble in paradise, huh? I suppose an angry wife is never easy to deal with.”

Law looks at him in utter confusion for a few seconds, lowering the cup in his hand away from his mouth slowly.

“Oh no, she’s not my wife! We split up years ago, didn’t I tell you?”

_Oh fuck Nami will never let me live it down that she was right about this…_

But honestly, fuck what Nami has to say about it. Much more importantly, Law is not married! The butterflies in his stomach are freaking the fuck out right now.

He laughs nervously. “Oh… oh well that’s… that’s good to know… Ah! I-I mean sorry that it didn’t work out between you…” God, why is he so bad at this?!

The face Luffy makes must be hilarious and Law has the audacity to laugh at him.

“Yeah well, it’s okay. We share the custody for Lami and at least try not to murder each other so it’s fine I guess. Thanks for the coffee again, really that just made my day.”

Oh thank god for the change of topics, this way Luffy can’t embarrass himself further. At least he hopes so.

“No problem at all! Lami made it seem as if you are some kind of caffeine addict and since I haven’t seen you all week at the pinwheel I thought you would maybe appreciate it.”

“Yeah I wanted to stop by sometimes but couldn’t make the time for it, sorry. Not to brag but I’m usually pretty booked up.” He shoots Luffy a lop sided smile and _sweet Jesus_ at this rate Luffy thinks that the older male soon has to call an ambulance ‘cause Luffy’s going to have an cardiac arrest.

“I wanted to see you again, though. And here you are.”

Wait.

Stop.

Is he _flirting_ with Luffy?

Abort mission! He’s not prepared for this _at all_!

The air around them seems loaded with electricity and Luffy wonders if Law can feel it too. He doesn’t know how to respond to that though, has no idea how this flirting stuff works and of top of that his brain seems to have short circuited. Not that he would have had something clever to say anyway.

Law gets him out of his daze. “This may come out of nowhere but do you maybe want to come to the street festival with Lami and me tomorrow?”

Wait what?

“You know, Lami seems very fond of you, she kept asking me when we would go to see you again and I think she would probably strangle me if she finds out I saw you and didn’t invite you. But if you’re not comfortable with this I understand, of course. After all we don’t really know each other.”

“NO!”

Ah yes, very subtle. One day, he swears, he will rip out his own tongue. “I mean yes, I would like to. That sounds like fun and to be honest with you, I’m really fond of the little whirlwind myself. I just have to ask if I can get the day off but that probably won’t be a problem.”

Law smiles at him. A real, genuine smile, not the cocky smirk he always seems to wear on his lips. Luffy melts on the spot.

“Great. She will be very happy about th-“

He doesn’t get to finish what he was about to say because suddenly the door gets slammed open harshly, making them both flinch.

“Yoo Law, what’s up? Are you ready?” Two men come strolling in and Luffy feels the urge to kick their asses. He was having a moment with Law right there, how dare they to interrupt them?!

“Hnn? Who’s your little friend? Don’t tell me he’s a customer, Law!” A red haired man with dark sunglasses shading his eyes asks while pointing a finger in Luffy’s direction. The man next to him nods. He’s wearing a hat with a little penguin sitting on the top, _Weird, but okay_ , Luffy thinks to himself. “Yeah, you promised to do just one appointment today. Or are you planning to stand us up because of your new cute little friend?”

The other one grabs his chest in mock pain and sighs dramatically. “I’m heartbroken Law, really! I thought we were the only ones for you…”

Law deadpans at them, clearly not impressed by their act.

“Ah dumb and dumber are here, managing to get on my nerves in less than five seconds, as always.”

“The slander,” the one with the penguin hat says. The other man adds: “The betrayal!”

Law shakes his head at them. “Don’t ask me why but these two are my friends. Shachi,” he points to the redhead, “and Penguin. And this is Luffy. I met him at the pinwheel, where he's working, and Lami decided that she wants to keep him.”

Luffy laughs at that, because it’s kinda true isn’t it? If it wasn’t for the little girl he most likely wouldn’t be here right now.

“Yeah, Law had to scratch me up from the floor because of her. That must have been such a great first impression that both of them thought I have to be a really cool guy.”

The two newcomers, Shachi and Penguin, grin at each other. “Ha! That sounds like our girl! She knows how to pick ‘em, right Law?”

“I hope you bought her a big ass present after that, Law. You know because you’ll probably get la-” Shachi wiggles his eyebrows at the taller man but gets a slap on the back of his head before he can finish his sentence. “Shut up Shachi.”

Not really knowing what’s going on, Luffy decides he likes them anyway. They seem like funny guys. The three of them would get along really well with his group of friends and the thought tugs lightly at his heartstrings.

“All right before you two idiots decide to tell him my whole life story with every embarrassing detail... we should get going.” He shoots Luffy an apologetic smile. “Sorry Luffy, I don’t want to throw you out but I promised these two idiots to spend the day with them. It was nice that you came by. Feel free to bring me free coffee anytime.” He jokes teasingly.

“Oh wait. Give me your number so I can text you later about tomorrow.” Either Shachi or Penguin, maybe both, whistle at that and Luffy turns beet red.

“Ah yeah sure! Give me your phone, I’ll type in my number.”

After Luffy saved his contact information in Law’s phone they say their farewells. “I’ll text you later, yeah?” Law winks at the smaller boy, making his knees weak. Surely he knows exactly what effect he has on the teen. Luffy wishes he could carry himself with as much confidence as the handsome man but instead he isn’t even capable of forming a whole sentence, only stuttering out a weak ‘okay’. Law’s more than likely used to people swoon over him left and right and Luffy hates himself a little bit for being one of those people.

Nevertheless he can’t help but hum happily to himself as he makes his way home. That went better than anticipated.

-

“A DATE?!”

Nami screeches so loud through the phone at him that he fears his eardrum might explode at any second.

“It’s not a date Nami.”

“Oh will you stop it already for fucks sake! Don’t make me come over and beat you to a pulp.”

It’s really not, though. Lami will be there too and who in their right mind would bring their child on a date? Exactly: no one. So the conclusion is that it’s not a date.

“It is a date and now shut up. Be a little grateful and spare me your bullshit, after all mum let you take the day off just so you can smooch Mr. Sexy.”

Even though Nami can’t see him, he rolls his eyes at her comment, pretty sure she can sense it trough the phone anyway.

“Yes of course, I plan on making out with him like crazy right in front of his daughter. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

“You can be sarcastic about it all day long for all I care but it’s gonna happen. Maybe not tomorrow, but it’s gonna happen. Mark my words.”

It’s not like Luffy doesn’t wish for her to be right, in fact he wants her to be right very badly. He just thinks it’s not realistic. And even though he’s usually not the type of person to care whether something is realistic or not, in this case he’d rather lower his expectations instead of getting his hopes up.

“It’s time for someone to pop your cherry anyways…”

“Nami!”

“What? I’m right! And what better candidate could there be other than this handsome _daddy_.”

Really, did she have to emphasize to the word daddy so much? This woman just doesn’t know when to stop.

He hears some shuffling going on in the background and a male voice. Maybe Sanji?

"Luffy," it is Sanji. "Listen if he tries to do something funny: kick him where it hurts the most! And call me. The moss head and I are going to beat him up for you!"

 _Not him too.._. He apparently spends too much time with Nami. She's a bad influence for him.

"No one is going to try 'something funny' Sanji. Not everyone is a pervert like you." 

Is Luffy the only one aware of the fact that an eight year old girl will be there too? Because honestly it seems like it. Or they are just ignoring it on purpose.

"I'm just sayin', you have to be careful around guys like him. Just tryin' to look out for you, Lu."

"Guys like him? Sanji you haven't even met him!"

Seriously why are they like this? He expects this behavior from Nami, yes. But Sanji? 

"Yeah that's true but Nami told me about him. He's probably used to get everyone he wants. You know, the fuckboy type. Good looking but an asshole."

Luffy snorts. "Sounds to me like you are jealous."

Because Sanji and the ladies... that's a very sensitive topic. He never has luck with girls and it's not because he's not good looking, in fact he is really attractive, he's just _way to much_ in his advances. 

"Wha-?! I'm _not_ jealous-"

"That's enough Sanji," Nami is on the phone again, "don't listen to him, Law is not a fuckboy. By the way Luffy, perhaps you should go and get some condoms. He looks like he needs the biggest size available-"

“Okay that’s enough. I’m going to hang up now.”

She laughs lightly at him. “Fine, fine. I hope you have sweet dreams about a certain someone~ and don’t forget to keep me updated!”

Maybe it’s time to consider getting new friends…

-

**(1) Unread message – unknown number**

_Hey, it’s Law. Are you still down for tomorrow? You better say yes because Lami hasn’t stopped grinning since I told her you would come along. She’s very excited._

**Sent message**

_Haha of course I’m still coming! Can’t wait to see the little princess again!!! <3_

**Message from Law**

_Great! I’ll come pick you up at twelve, does that work for you? Just tell me where._

Luffy sends him his address, which maybe isn’t really a smart move but what gives. If in the end Law turns out to be a murderer then Luffy at least has something nice to look at right before he dies.

**Message from Law**

_All right, see you then. I’m looking forward to it._

**Sent message**

_Yeah, me too…_

Luffy has to remind himself of his own words: this is not a date. They are just hanging out, nothing more. No reason to get excited. 

But no matter how much he tries to calm himself, it's no use. He's going to spend the whole day with Law. Because he had asked him to. How could he not be excited? 

Luffy can't wait for it to finally be the next day.

He stays up until late in the night, way to nervous to get some rest. When he finally falls asleep though, he has indeed _very_ sweet dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Let me know what you think :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yaaay finally it's time for their 'date' :D
> 
> Thanks for all the sweet comments on the last chapter. Apparently there are people waiting for me to update? Which honestly is so ???? to me. But I'm happy that you are enjoying my story, I certainly am having very much fun with it.
> 
> So I hope you like this chapter aswell!

„You’re acting like a girl.“

„He wants to make a good impression, Nami. It’s understandable.”

“I’m just saying that he puts an awful lot of thought in his outfit for what apparently is not a date. His words, not mine.”

Luffy eyes the phone on his bed, tempted to mute the call. He can do without Nami’s sarcastic commentary. Robin at least tries to be supportive, but even she can’t help but tease him. Which is probably fair, Luffy thinks as he glances at the pile of clothes scattered on the floor. He had changed at least ten times. It’s a bit ridiculous if he’s being honest with himself. And Nami has a point: he insists on this not being a date. And it isn’t, he stands by his words. He wants to looks good though, who can blame him?

He lets out a frustrated groan as he changes his shirt for the umpteenth time and looks himself over in the mirror.

“Have you decided on anything yet, Luffy?”

He’s wearing black shorts and a yellow t-shirt with a big grinning smiley face on it, his beloved straw hat hanging loosely around his neck. The shirt is one of his favorites and he thinks he recalls seeing a similar symbol decorating Law’s studio, so this might be a good choice. It’s a good look and he doesn’t have the energy to go through the limited selection that is his closet, anymore anyway.

He’s keeping on the sandals though. No way in hell he’s wearing any other kind of footwear in this weather. Not even for Law.

“I think so…”

“Picture, Luffy. Picture."

 _Ugh_ , isn’t this exactly how you act before a date: Getting advice from your girl friends and sending them pictures of your outfit? Luffy must have at some point ordered the whole ‘lovestruck teenager’ package deal without his knowledge. No refunds.

 _This is ridiculous, why exactly am I acting like this again?_ Law’s handsome face pops up in his mind and well… there’s his answer.

He complies either way and sends Robin and Nami the selfie he quickly took.

“Awww cute, Lu! He’s gonna want to eat you right up!”

“It’s a good look on you Luffy. I’m sure he will like it.”

Luffy wants to argue that he doesn’t care if Law will like it or not but at this point, he guesses, lying would be futile.

-

Not even half a step outside the door he’s already under attack.

“LUFFY!!!” Lami jumps on him, barely giving Luffy the chance to catch her. He pinches her cheek affectionately. “Hi princess, how are you?”

As he looks up he notices Law, casually leaning against a very expensive looking car. All black, of course, and it must have cost a fortune. The man himself is busy with typing on his phone. He’s wearing washed out jeans and a tight fitting black v-neck. And by tight fitting he means _tight_ fitting. Luffy’s mouth waters at the sight.

He looks up from the device in his hand at the tumult, spotting Luffy standing by the door with his daughter scooped up in his arms.

He can feel Law's heavy gaze on him. Gold eyes moving up and down his body, unhurried, as if he has all the time in the world to check him out. “Cool shirt,” he comments, not bothered at all at how Luffy is already a wreck from Law only looking at him. It’s obvious how much it affects him, but Law does nothing to acknowledge it.

He’s wearing an easy smirk on his lips as he strolls towards Luffy.

The smirk is soon replaced with a soft smile as he comes to a halt right in front of the teen. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He answers a bit dopey.

The scene could have been taken right out of a corny romance movie as they stare into each other’s eyes. It’s only when Lami starts giggling that they snap out of it.

“Luffy I’m so happy that you’re coming with us today! I’m sooo excited ever since daddy told me yesterday!”

Law huffs out a quiet laugh. “Yeah that’s true. She wouldn’t stay quiet about it.” He throws an accusing look at her, “didn’t even want to go to sleep when it was long after her bedtime.”

She pouts at him and Luffy wonders how a sane human being could possibly deny her anything. “I couldn’t sleep daddy, I was so excited. But don’t worry, I already promised you I won’t tell mommy that you let me stay up longer,” she chirps and he makes a face at her. Man she has him wrapped around her cute little fingers. Not that Luffy would blame him.

“No, seriously,” he addresses Luffy. “How did you manage to make her fall in love with you so quickly? She’s very friendly by nature but with you she’s absolutely smitten.”

Luffy lets out a giggle. “I don’t know. Must be because I’m so charming I guess.”

The lopsided smile on Law’s face makes him dizzy. “You sure are.”

_Help!_

Oh he knows exactly what he’s doing to Luffy, judging by the smug look on his face. Does he just want to tease him?

“We should get going, are you ready?” He changes the topic. Luffy and Lami both nod at him.

After Law made sure Lami sits securely in her seat, he goes to open the door for Luffy. _What a gentleman._

Fastening his seatbelt and starting the engine he looks at Luffy. “I’m going to drive home to park the car. The festival’s actually just a five minute walk from where I live. If that’s okay with you?”

“Why didn’t you say that from the beginning? We could have just met there instead of you driving all the way here just to pick me up.”

It wouldn’t have been a problem for Luffy to call an uber. Okay, he may not have the money for it but still. It wasn’t necessary for Law to come here if he lives only a short walk from the festival.

Law, however, looks at him as if he just said the dumbest thing in the world. “And let you take the bus? No way. After all I’m the one dragging you along. You sure had something better to do, so at least I can come and pick you up.”

He thinks Luffy has something better to do than spend the day with him? With the most gorgeous man and his adorable daughter? _Err… I don’t think so, sir._

The ride is rather quiet, apart from Lami listing all the things she wants to do at the festival. Luffy agrees with everything she says while Law rolls his eyes at them fondly.

They park the car in front of a big ass house. It must pay out pretty well to own a tattoo studio or maybe his family is rich, Luffy ponders as they get out of the car. It’s not like a mansion or something but Luffy’s pretty sure a person with an average paycheck couldn’t afford it.

“Ah I just noticed I forgot my wallet. I’ll be right back. Pumpkin,” he addresses his daughter in the sweetest voice, “ _behave._ ”

As he’s about to enter the front door he turns to Luffy. Seems like he only realized at this moment that he is about to leave his little girl alone with a man he barely knows. “If you do something to my daughter: I know where you live.”

“Ah shoot, there goes my plan to steal her from you!”

“Yeah try it, you’ll bring her back on your own free will before the day is over,” he mutters as he closes the door behind him.

Lami grins up at him, something mischievous glinting in her hazel eyes. “Daddy’s reeeeally nervous about today. But you can’t tell him I said this. It’s our secret.”

If someone was to see Luffy now, they’d probably assume he’s trying to compete against a tomato. Luffy at least thinks he would come pretty close to that with how warm his face feels.

Why would Law be nervous? _Oh god!_ Until this moment he was under the impression the small girl is an angel. Now he’s not so sure anymore. Is she just fucking with him?

He wants to interrogate her further but Law steps out the door just at the worst moment, they must look like a deer in the headlights. He narrows his eyes at them in suspicion.

“Did she tell you something embarrassing about me? She did, didn’t she?”

The dirt on the ground seems to be awfully interesting to Lami as she tries to look anywhere but her father’s face. “I didn’t say anything…,” she mumbles quietly.

Not believing a word, Law lets out a long sigh. “Whatever. Let’s get going.”

-

The festival is _huge,_ with lots of different food stands and other activities. It’s crowded too. Groups of people and families wandering around with big smiles on their faces, happy chattering and music filling the air. Screams from the people on the rides can be heard in the distance. Delicious smells from the various food stands mixed together are hitting Luffy in the face, causing his stomach to growl loudly. Right. He hasn't eaten anything yet. He was too busy being a nervous mess this morning. _Probably should grab something to eat first. We could get some candy or…_

“I want ice cream,” he and Lami both scream in unison only to laugh about it the next second. Great minds really think alike. “You’ve got to be kidding me…” Law looks at them in disbelief.

“It’s lunch time, don’t you want to eat something proper first?”

“No, we want ice cream!”

Law surrenders, no other choice than to agree with them.

They make their way to find ice cream and Law looks done. He’s used to the antics of his daughter but now with Luffy also in tow it’s a whole different level. They’re not even five minutes here and he already looks like he needs to sit down and rest. Much to the amusement of the other two.

“I don’t want to hear anything about an upset stomach later,” he side eyes Luffy, “from neither of you.”

They find a stand that sells ice cream pretty fast. It’s a hot summer day and therefore very popular, so they have to wait in line for a bit. Lami and Luffy bicker about what flavor is better; chocolate or vanilla until Law chimes in that the best is clearly coffee or at least something fruity, like lemon for example. Lami scrunches her nose in disgust. “Strawberry or raspberry I get. But lemon? Really, daddy you have such a weird taste.” Luffy agrees with her.

“On the contrary, sugar plum, I have an exquisite taste. You’ll maybe get it once your older. And you,” he glances at Luffy, “you’re a lost case I think. You don’t even drink coffee. Which, in my humble opinion, should be a crime.”

They argue about it back and forth even long after they got their ice cream and are, once again, wandering around. They’re having fun with it but Luffy realizes that they're polar opposites. If he would be the sun, Law definitely is the moon. Luffy doesn’t mind it one bit though, it makes their dynamic interesting.

They passed multiple shooting galleries already, without showing much of an interest in them. Until Lami abruptly stops at one. Something must have catched her eye.

“Daddy, daddy! Look! This bear looks just like Bepo!” She screams in joy.

“Bepo?” Luffy asks, confused, glancing at the big polar bear the little girl is pointing at.

Lami seems to be absolutely _delighted_ that he asked, her eyes are shining so bright, Luffy could swear he sees stars in them. “Bepo is Daddy’s cat. He is the fluffiest and cutest cat in the whole world! Daddy, show him a picture! Show him a picture!”

Law fishes his phone out of his pockets but he’s being too slow apparently, as she keeps pestering him, tugging at the hem of his shirt. “Lami,” he warns her, his voice strict, “this is not how you get something and you know it.”

That’s a new side to Law, Luffy hasn’t seen before. From what he’s witnessed so far Law seemed more like the ‘cool parent’ type of guy. Now though his demeanor completely changed. And it works: Lami shuts up immediately, looking at the ground in shame. “Sorry daddy,” she apologizes meekly, “can you show him a picture? Please?”

So even though Lami has him wrapped around her fingers it’s clear now that he won’t let her get away with everything. And Lami listens to him. Luffy’s not surprised; Law radiates authority if he wants to. His deep voice in such a commanding tone makes Luffy shiver and his stomach feels funny all of a sudden. It’s more than inappropriate what he’s thinking right now, Luffy’s aware of that, but he wants Law to use this voice on _him_ and that’s… that’s probably something he should worry about later.

“That’s better. See, you can behave well if you want to. You can show him the picture now.”

He hands her the phone and Lami turns into her usual happy self again within a heartbeat, holding the phone up to Luffy in excitement. What he sees is indeed a very fluffy white kitty. Now the comparison to the stuffed animal makes sense. The cat is adorable. Luffy always had a soft spot for animals and the cute cat staring at him through the phone makes him feel the strong urge to pet the long white fur.

He could ask Law if he can come visit him sometime. Only for the sake of petting the cat of course…

“That’s Bepo! Isn’t he the cutest?!”

Luffy laughs softly but agrees with her. Though, he is surprised that Law, of all people, owns such a cute cat. He looks up at him, smug smile on his lips. “He’s really cute. I kinda thought if you have a pet it might be… I don’t know maybe a Doberman or something.”

“Nah,” Lami giggles, “daddy doesn’t want to admit it but he really likes cute things. That’s why he likes you too!”

So… there are two possibilities: either Luffy got a heatstroke and is now hallucinating or Law has in fact a hint of a blush on his face. But Luffy is too struck with the little girls’ statement to think deeper into it. Law thinks he’s cute? His brain can’t really comprehend the information, going into a meltdown instead.

The older man clears his throat: “ _Anyway…_ do you want the bear, pumpkin?”

“Oh I can win it for her! I’m really good at these games,” Luffy brags. But it’s true. Rigged or not, Luffy always wins at these. He may not look like it with his lean frame but he’s actually pretty strong and skilled in various things.

“Sure, you can try,” Law agrees easily. “I’m paying though.”

After a heated discussion who pays – Luffy wins that argument (and it just maybe had something to do with him pouting at Law) – he gets into action. To Law’s surprise and Lami’s absolute delight he nails it at first try. He considers this to be a win-win situation. Law is impressed by his skills and Lami looks like the happiest girl in the world. She’s hugging the bear tightly agains her small body, the animal almost as big as her, and smiles so bright it could probably illuminate the whole festival.

“Well I have to admit, that was really impressive. But I feel compelled to tell you that after that stunt you’ll never again be able to get rid of her. So congratulation I guess, you’re adopted now. By her, not me. One hellspawn is more than enough, thank you very much.”

“That’s fine. I like spending time with her,” Luffy snorts, then adds a little shy: “you’re not so bad either.”

“Gee thanks for the compliment. I’m flattered really.” He acts as if he is offended but Luffy can tell from the look on his face that he knows exactly that Luffy thinks he’s way more than ‘not so bad’. Smug bastard.

They decide to get something to eat after Luffy’s stomach made itself known with a loud growl again. The ice cream, even though it was delicious, did do nothing to satiate his hunger. They wander around for a bit, searching for something to fill their stomachs with. It’s not easy to decide on something, the variety is huge and everything smells really enticing. Luffy kind of wants a little bit from everything. He doesn’t want Law to know what a glutton he is though, not that he could hide the fact for long if they hang out more often from now on, but still. His friends always tell him how gross it is how much food he is able to shove down his throat. Luffy doesn’t really get what’s gross about that but he decides that his infinite hunger is definitely not worth the risk of scaring Law away.

Lami seems to have a similar taste as Luffy, he realizes. They both are drawn in by the mouthwatering smell of burgers in the near distance, both of them sniffing the air like dogs to find out where the source of it is located.

Law face palms at the picture they make but follows them anyway as they dart off.

Food stand found, Law pays for their meals but not without much reluctance at their food of choice, ordering only fries for himself. Turns out he doesn’t like bread. Can you believe this? Luffy sure can’t. It’s not even an allergy, just plain hatred. Huh… Luffy didn’t think this was possible but people like this really seem to exist. Luffy can’t resist making fun of him for it, with Lami backing him up.

Poor Law. He couldn't have known what he has gotten himself into.

They find themselves a nice place to eat, lucky to find a free bench right underneath a big tree. The much appreciated shadow protecting them from the heat at least a little bit.

Luffy’s chewing on his burger happily, the actual taste even better than the smell was, and he keeps interrogating Law.

“Does that mean you don’t eat pizza? _How?_ Oh and what about cake? You eat cake, right? You have to eat cake!”

Law looks absolutely _done_ , seemingly ready to embrace sweet, sweet death. Which, to be honest, makes it even funnier. On the other hand Lami and Luffy are having the time of their life with teasing him.

But luck is on his side. Just as Luffy wants to ask him further about his unjustified hatred for bread, he gets interrupted by a loud shout. The voice way to familiar.

“Owww Luffy is that you? Suuuuuper!”

He spots Franky in the distance, his huge frame and bright blue hair hard to miss. With Robin on his arm, they both make their way over to the trio.

“Robin. Franky,” he greets them in the sweetest voice he can muster, eyes screaming murder. “What a nice _coincidence_ that you two are here.” He stresses the word while glaring daggers at the woman.

As expected she is totally unbothered by his call-out, giggling at him after she’s done _obviously_ checking out Law. “It is, isn’t it? We spontaneously decided to come here on this beautiful day.” _Spontaneously, my ass._

In hindsight, he should have seen it coming.

She offers Law her hand, “you must be Law. Luffy told us about you.”

That’s it. She’s officially on his hit-list too now, alongside with Nami of course.

Law takes the hand offered to him with a raised brow. “Did he? Only good things I hope.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she assures him, “I’m Robin and this,” she points at Franky, “is my boyfriend Franky. We’re both very close friends to Luffy.” _Yeah, we’ll see for how long after this,_ Luffy thinks bitterly. It’s Karma he supposes. After making fun of Law it’s only fair that his friends made an appearance to embarrass him.

Robin spots Lami, who is staring at her with wide eyes, totally starstruck. She crouches down besides her and offers her hand. “You must be his lovely daughter. Oh my, what a pretty little girl you are.”

“Wow you are sooo beautiful ma’am!” Robin lets out a giggle at the compliment, patting the girls’ hair. She turns her attention to Franky next. “And your hair is super cool, mister!” Franky is _beaming_ at her. “OW! What a suuuuper little lady! Good job, bro!” He shows Law the thumbs up and Luffy wants nothing more than to disappear.

He loves his friends dearly but especially Franky can come across as too much, even more so if you’re not used to him. Law is not fazed in the slightest by his craziness, though. “Thanks, I did my best,” he snorts.

Luffy shoots the older man an apologetic look. “Sorry… he’s always like this,” he mutters so only Law can hear him. He waves him off, “You have met Shachi and Peng already. I’m used to a lot, believe me. Your friends seem nice.”

That’s one way to describe them, yeah. Now, Luffy finds ‘a pain in the ass’ to be more accurate.

“Did you go on the ferris wheel already? We just came from there; the view is extra ordinary.”

“It was _super_ romantic! You should go too.”

What did Luffy ever do to deserve this? Seriously.

He wants to protest but Lami is faster. “Ohhh that sounds like so much fun! Daddy can we go there? Please?”

He eyes her, skeptical. “I don’t know pumpkin… What do you think Luffy? Do you want to go?”

 _Does he want to go_ , he asks. Does he want to go to a place used as a trope in countless romantic movies with the man of his dreams. What kind of ridiculous question is this.

Trying to keep his excitement under control, Luffy only nods at him with a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Do you mind if we accompany you there? Don’t worry we don’t intend to stick around but they sell really good sweets near the ferris wheel and I want to grabs some things before we head home.

Luffy does mind. First they spy on him and Law and then they want to tag along too? But Robin is the smart one in his group of friends so he trusts her to leave them alone afterwards.

Thank god Nami didn’t show up, they would never be able to get rid of her…

-

The ferris wheel is huge _,_ one of the biggest Luffy has ever seen. Of course they could spot it already from far away but standing right in front of it, it looks even more impressive. Luffy can practically feel the sparks in his own eyes. Of course being an absolute adrenaline junky, Luffy prefers the other rides way more but still he can’t wait to hop on the damn thing. Robin already told them that the view is fantastic and Luffy doesn’t doubt it for a second.

Law already purchased three tickets for them and they say their farewells to the couple when Lami interrupts. “Daddy… I don’t feel like going anymore… You were right, I shouldn’t have eaten so much ice cream...” Her father looks at her with concern in his eyes and picks her up, holding her firm in his arms. “Are you not feeling well, sweetie? Maybe you should listen to me for once, you know…”

“No I’m fine daddy. I just don’t want to go anymore. But you already have the tickets, you can go with Luffy.” Huh, sorry what? Him and Law, _alone?! Yeah that’s fine…_

Robin snickers behind them and Franky’s currently grinning from ear to ear. _Is there some joke going on or something_ , Luffy asks himself. Well clearly he isn’t in on it.

“We can’t go without you, Lami.”

“Oh we don’t mind to look after her in the meantime. Right, Franky?”

Law looks torn about the offer. “Look, no offense, but I don’t really feel good about leaving my daughter in the care of strangers…”

Yeah Luffy can understand that, of course. He probably wouldn’t do it either if it was his child but still… it’s selfish but he really wants to go with Law. Luffy’s not going to pressure him into it though, he knows that Lami’s wellbeing always comes first.

So, Luffy’s not going to persuade him but he doesn’t have to in the first place: Lami’s doing the job just fine. She rolls her eyes at her dad. “C’mon daddy, they are really nice and they are Luffy’s friends so they must be good people. And you already have the tickets. You always tell me that money shouldn’t be wasted.”

Maybe she’s a bit too smart for her age and if she wasn’t a little girl and the thought just way too ridiculous, Luffy would think she had this all planned out.

Law looks lost, he’s searching for Luffy’s eyes as if to ask him for help. “Ah… if you don’t want to I understand but I trust them both with my life so it would be fine, I promise.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get her back safe and sound,” Robin chirps.

“…Fine.” He’s still hesitant but he agrees and Luffy’s stomach does a flip.

Lami, still held in her father’s strong arms, smiles the sweetest, most innocent smile at him and now that Luffy thinks about it she doesn’t look like she’s going to be sick at all. Law seems to think the exact same thing, his eyes narrow at her. He whispers something in her ear. Luffy couldn’t hear what it was but the girl seems to be amused with it as she responds with a giggle. He plants a wet kiss on her cheek before he puts her down on the ground again.

“Be nice to them, yeah?”

Luffy and Law wave at the three waiting for them as they enter the cabin and soon are lifted up in the air higher and higher until the people on the ground seem like nothing more than tiny little ants.

Robin was right; the view is breathtaking. Luffy stares in awe as even the buildings appear to be small. Law smiles at the teen softly as he watches him gawk at the beautiful sight.

 _It would be even more beautiful at night,_ Luffy ponders, _maybe he will come here again with me at night time. Maybe just the two of us…_

“You know,” Law starts as he leans back in the seat, crossing his legs, “I think my daughter set us up.”

“Huh?” Good thing Luffy is so well spoken, otherwise Law could think he is a complete moron.

“Seems like she wanted us to be alone.”

“Why?” 

“I don’t know,” he smirks at him. “Ask her.”

Luffy coughs, trying to hide his embarrassment with little to no success.

He really could have said something smooth like “She probably wanted us to enjoy the romantic view together” while winking at him and shit. But no, instead he apparently decided to become a blushing mess. And Law, the bastard, seems to be greatly entertained by it. Fantastic.

Luffy wonders if there’s a limit to how many times one can make a fool of themselves in one day.

Trying to distract himself from the awkward situation he wants to get a better look at the view. He stands up from the seat. A little too fast apparently, as he loses his balance and stumbles forward slightly. Law reacts fast and holds him tightly around the waist, steadying him.

“Whoa, careful,” he says in his deep, soothing voice. Luffy suddenly feels dizzy and it has nothing to do with his lost balance and everything to do with how Law’s arm is wrapped around him in a secure grip. Warmth blossoms from where Law is touching him, sending shockwaves through his body and shivers down his spine. They stay like this for what feels like forever. Luffy thinks he’s not even breathing because he doesn’t know anymore how that even works.

He takes a step back, seemingly kicking Law back in action again as he lets go of Luffy immediately. Luffy plops down onto the seat again, the electricity in the air back in full force as soon as their eyes meet.

“Whoopsie…,” Luffy laughs, fidgeting with his hands, desperately trying to get the tension out of the air and the relaxed atmosphere back.

Law huffs, his gold eyes are on Luffy, something in them he can’t quite catch. “You’re really something, you know that?”

No, he doesn’t. And he doesn’t get to ask him what he meant either as they are almost back on the ground; he can already see Lami waving at them.

Luffy’s legs feel like jelly when they get off the ride. He fears he might stumble again. Law on the other hand seems to be unbothered, as if the tension between them never happened.

He thanks Robin and Franky for looking after his daughter. Picking her up, he puts her on his shoulder, getting a happy squeal out of her. Luffy stares at him and he wonders… he wonders if Law had felt that too or if it was just wishful thinking on his part.

“Did you enjoy the suuuuper view?”

Law glances at Luffy, the corners of his mouth turning upwards into a cocky smirk. “Sure.”

While the two men talk Luffy isn’t able to tear his eyes away from Law. The staring doesn’t go unnoticed by the observant Robin. She doesn’t say anything, only smiles her mysterious smile and nods at Luffy, the action so small Luffy almost didn’t catch it.

Whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean.

-

As promised his friends said their goodbyes right afterwards much to Luffy’s relief. He loves spending time with his friends but this day he wants to enjoy with Law and Lami only.

The rest of the day went over pretty uneventful by Luffy’s standard, but far from boring. He really enjoys their company and is thrilled that they get along so well. With Lami he clicked right from the beginning, probably due to his own childish nature. Law really has both hands full with them and Luffy almost feels bad. After all he is someone who likes it more relaxed, staying away from trouble while Luffy is usually one to seek for it. But the content smile on his face throughout the day tells Luffy that he doesn’t mind getting dragged all over the place at all. He is happy to see his daughter in such a good mood and knows that Luffy is the reason for that.

It feels very natural, the three of them together, not like they were strangers just a little over a week ago at all. And despite of how much Luffy had denied it, this day kind of felt like a date.

Sadly, like all good things, the not date-date has to end sooner or later. And with how much Lami ran around it was only a matter of time until she would get exhausted. As she’s barely able to stand on her feet anymore, that was the moment they decided to call it a day.

Law insisted on driving Luffy home. He didn’t take no for an answer so now they are walking towards Law’s home side by side with Lami firmly pressed against Law’s chest, held up with one arm, the other hand occupied with the giant polar bear Luffy had won for her. She’s already dozing off and Luffy is just a little bit jealous. He would like to sleep on that broad chest himself if he’s being honest.

To get these thoughts out of his head Luffy fidgets with the little plush monkey in his hand.

He was surprised when Law had won it and handed it to him instead of Lami. And maybe he stood there with his mouth open like a fish a little too long but he was just so perplexed and his heart was busy doing flips inside his chest. So really, who could blame him? Law had shrugged it off, saying it reminded him of Luffy because he’s like a monkey too, even has it in his name. And that was just so… sweet. The little red monkey is one of his most precious possessions now, that’s for sure.

They arrive at Law’s house way to soon. Lami wakes up from her slumber, blinking at Luffy through tired eyes. The sleepy expression and drowsy smile so cute, Luffy wants to cuddle her. “Thank you sooo much for coming with us today, Luffy. I had so much fun! I hope I can see you again soon…” She yawns loudly, making Luffy chuckle at her.

“Thank you for talking your dad into taking me with you. I had very much fun too. Sleep tight, little whirlwind.”

Law tells him to wait a moment while he puts Lami to bed. He comes back ten minutes later, apologetic look on his face. “Sorry you had to wait.” Luffy waves him off. “Nah still better than taking the bus. I had company.” He wiggles with the little monkey in his hand. “Thanks again, I really like him,” he tells Law while looking fondly at the stuffed animal, his heart feeling warm with happiness. Law’s smile only adds to that.

The drive to Luffy’s apartment goes by quietly. Not the awkward kind of silence though. Law parks the car and Luffy knows that it’s time to go. He doesn’t want to. Doesn’t want the time with him to be over already. Especially since he doesn’t know where this leaves them. Are they friends now?

“Honestly Luffy, thank you very much for coming with us. It meant the world to Lami as I’m sure you could tell. I had a really good time too.”

His voice is earnest; not teasing like it is so often. Luffy has no doubt that Law means what he said.

“You don’t have to thank me. I had a great time too! I really love Lami, she’s such a great girl. So if you need a babysitter sometimes just hit me up.”

“Huh… and here I was thinking you came because of me but it was my daughter all along.”

_Oh shit he knows, oh shit he knows, oh shit he kno-_

The panicked expression on Luffy’s face must be hilarious. Law seems to think so at least.

“Relax, I’m just joking," he laughs at Luffy. "Thanks for the great day again. I hope I’ll hear something from you again.”

They say goodbye and Luffy all but _flees_ from the car. He’s almost at the door when he hears Law call out to him. He turns around, finding Law with his arm propped on the open window, smirk on his face.

Did Luffy forget something? Unlikely, he feels both his wallet and his phone in his shorts and the stuffed animal is still held in a tight grip. He looks at Law, confused.

“Yes?”

“You look really cute when you’re flustered.”

And just like that he drives off, leaving Luffy behind with week knees and a burning face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay, new chapter is finally finished! Sorry for the wait but ohh boy I struggled with this one..
> 
> I hope you enjoy it and stay safe y'all!

„Out with it, Lu. We want to know every single detail!“

“Oi! Speak for yourself, witch. I think it's none of our business.”

Luffy lets ou an exaggerated sigh. It's Wednesday afternoon and despite their different schedules, the crew managed to find the time to hang out and chill for a bit. At least he wishes they would do that.

Instead this turned into an interrogation not even a minute after they all made themselves comfortable. Only thing missing would be for Nami to hold a flashlight right in his face. The curious looks he gets from his friend have the same effect though, so that’s not even necessary to make Luffy feel like a criminal who has to spill information about a wanted gang leader.

Only sane person seems to be Zoro.

They are currently in said man’s bedroom, all greedy for information, safe for the host himself. Luffy wants to hug Zoro for being reasonable but in the end he is greatly outnumbered. In other words: the others don’t give a shit about Luffy’s privacy. And he has a few things to say about that, especially to Robin and Franky.

Nami, who would have thought, is of course the head of the interrogation with Sanji hot on her heels. He’s acting like a mother hen. For what reason? No one knows. Zoro and Vivi are the only ones sensible about the topic. And of course Robin doesn’t make a fuss about it either but she’s still a traitor and Luffy intends to give her a piece of his mind about it later.

The biggest pain in the ass however is Usopp. He’s being dramatic ever since Luffy told him about Law and it’s driving him nuts slowly but surely.

“I mean, he has the word death tattooed on his fingers! Who does that?” Why exactly has Luffy mentioned Law’s tattoos to his friends? Ah yes, because he can’t stop gushing about them.

“I’ll tell you who. Mob bosses. They do that.”

Luffy rolls his eyes at his friend. “For the love of god Usopp, can you stop it already?! He is not a mob boss. He has hearts tattooed on his shoulders too.”

Not reassured in the slightest Usopp scrunches his nose. “Yeah, you see… that’s something a mob boss would do too.”

“Oh don’t worry Usopp, he didn’t seem like a gangster to me.” Robin chuckles at his silly behavior.

“Oh no, I don’t want to hear a word from you Robin. What in the world has possessed you to show up at the festival? Have you lost your mind? And Franky, you too!”

They don’t look like they are sorry now but they will be. Luffy has prepared a whole essay in his head about how it’s not okay to spy on their friends and the importance of privacy and whatnot. He can’t even get started though because… well Sanji has to come to her defenses like the knight in shining armor that he wishes to be.

“Hey Luffy, don’t attack her for that! She had to make sure you’re not meeting up with a creep.”

“Mob boss.”

“He is not a creep and Nami already knew this. And Usopp, I heard that. _Stop it!_ ”

“Look, I get it. You’re pissed at them for disturbing your date.” Still not a date Nami. And she is one to speak; she probably talked them into it in the first place. “But since you decide to be so tight lipped about it, it was the right decision. So Franky, Robin. Spill!”

“Oh my I can’t tell you much, but from what I saw he seems to be a good guy. Very handsome.”

“OWWW, he’s _super_ hot! You have to get him Luffy!”

Oh boy. Luffy seriously considers to just get up and the hell out of here. But they are his friends and they are curious, Luffy gets that, he would be too. So he starts talking.

He tells them that they had a lot of fun, how they got along really well. Tells them how much he adores Lami and how the three of them together felt so _right._ He even tells them about the weird tension between him and Law on the ferris wheel.

They all listen with their eyes and mouths wide open, even Zoro seems to be interested by now.

“And yeah… he won a little monkey for me. That was cute. And oh! He told me I look cute when I’m flustered before he drove off. And that’s that…”

“HE WHAT?!”

It’s pure chaos after that. They’re all talking at the same time; Nami and Vivi are squealing and Usopp looks like he’s about to pass out. Robin’s chuckling and Franky ‘s shouting ‘SUPER’ so loud that Luffy’s sure the neighbors will complain about it later. Sanji and Zoro started fighting halfway through. About what, they probably don’t know either. It’s a mess.

They’re being so loud that they don’t even hear the knock on the door. Only when they notice Perona standing in the room the screaming dies down.

“Sorry to disturb your little party in here. Did I miss something or why are y'all fanboying like crazy? Did the bachelor just give away the last rose or what’s happening?”

“Oi dumbass, how many times do I have to tell you to not come into my room?! What do you want?” Zoro snaps at his sister.

“If y’all wouldn’t have screamed like idiots you would have heard me knock, dickhead.”

Perona is kind of a weirdo with her Goth Lolita aesthetics and her strange obsession with ghosts but she’s a very sweet girl. She often hangs out with the crew; they all are very fond of her. Zoro always makes a scene when she “invites herself” to their hangouts, however they all know that’s just for show. He loves his little sister dearly but, as it is normal for siblings, they banter all the time.

“Anyway, dad just called. He said he won’t be home for dinner today. Wanna order a pizza?”

They all agree that pizza is a fantastic idea and Perona offers to order for them. After making clear that she won’t be paying of course. Luffy kind of hopes that the interruption would be enough for the others to forget about the topic ‘Law’ that’s still hanging heavy in the air. But no such luck.

As soon as the pink haired girl is out of the room Nami all but leaps at him.

“He said that you’re cute?” she screams at him. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? That’s _big_!”

The others nod their heads in agreement. “Yeah Luffy that sounds to me as if he likes you.”

Luffy tries to shake Nami off. “Guys calm down! It’s nothing big, he just likes to tease me.”

In all honesty, Luffy is not even sure if he believes his own words. Law definitively was flirting with him, even someone as oblivious as Luffy has to admit that. It’s just... he isn’t really sure what that means. Could it be possible Law is interested in him? Or is he just the flirty type of guy who just does it because it’s fun? It troubles him a lot that he just can’t read Law _at all_. He likes to tease Luffy for sure and finds it more than amusing to make him blush. So maybe it’s all just fun and games. On the other hand Law sometimes looks at him in a certain way and every time their eyes meet there’s this tension. It’s all so confusing.

“Luffy,” Robin puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “he likes you, trust me. Franky and I saw you two together and we both agree that he is interested.”

He trusts her like he trusts all his friends and Robin usually has a good intuition, an almost scary talent for reading people. So maybe…

“If you say so…”

-

They all agreed that it seemed to be more than likely Law had an interest in him. Even Zoro had participated in the conversation, although he isn’t one for gossiping about stuff like that.

Perona, after bringing them their food and sitting with them to eat, demanded that they tell her what's going on. They gave her a short recap and even she, despite not knowing much about what’s going on, could "sense something romantic". Because apparently you don’t just win a stuffed animal for someone. Especially not if you could just gift it to your daughter.

Luffy has to admit that she has a point. They all have. It gives him hope.

And it's not even just that. Aside from his obvious flirting on their maybe-date, they have been texting practically nonstop for the last three days. Just about little things: a quick good morning text, wishing each other a good day, ranting about awful customers. These kinds of things. He even had sent him a picture of Lami cuddling with Bepo, which had made his heart feel so warm, Luffy stared at the ceiling for about half an hour afterwards. And the absolute best thing is that Law initiated the conversations most of the time.

That has to mean something.

Right?

-

It’s Thursday morning and the pinwheel is _busy._ Luffy couldn’t catch a breath for the last few hours, people coming in one after another; seemingly every time in larger groups and Luffy has his hands full. He doesn’t mind days like these though, time flies by when he’s constantly busy and with so much people coming in chances are that he has a few interesting conversations. The customers are for the most part very pleasant. It puts him in a good mood. He still is happy to have his lunch break in a few minutes though, his stomach is complaining rather loudly.

“Luffy,” Nami calls out to him, “Nojiko made you some sandwiches for Lunch.”

He wants to cry. What an angel! “She did? Man that explains why you’re always so mean; she has gotten all the good qualities from Bellemere and there was nothing left for you. What a pity.”

That earns him a nice, hard slap on the back of his head. And okay, he kinda deserved it. But she teases him all the time, it’s only fair for it to be his turn once in a while.

“You know none of us are blood related so your shitty theory doesn’t work, dumbass.” Her frown suddenly changes into a smirk. “You’re in an awfully good mood lately. I think the lovey-dovey good morning texts from your lover are gradually getting into your head.”

Luffy is not sure why his face starts heating up at her statement. Either because she called Law his lover, which sadly is far from the truth, or because he did in fact get a good morning text from Law.

“Ah by the way, since we’re already talking about him. Have you asked him if he wants to come to my birthday party yet?”

_Shit,_ she hasn’t forgotten about it.

Luffy wanted to ask him but never got the courage to do so. What if it is too much? There will be a lot of people he doesn’t know. Of course he has seen Nami before and even met Robin and Franky but it still seems too soon for their stage of… friendship? It feels almost like the whole 'meeting the family' thing.

“No I haven’t,” he mumbles. “I don’t know if he even would want to come.”

She deadpans at him.

“That’s kinda the point of asking. To find out if he wants to.”

Yeah that’s a good argument; he has to give her credit for that. And he wants Law to come. Wants him to meet all his friends, wants him to be part of the crew. That would be really nice.

Worst that could happen is Law saying no. But maybe he can bribe him, and what could be better for that than his beloved coffee? He can't say no after he brought him the stuff he probably runs on. That's it, Luffy is a genius! 

He gets out his phone to send a quick message to the man of his desire. Just a simple “need caffeine?”

Proud of himself and his plan he makes his way to the kitchen to grab his lunch from Nojiko. Now he only has to hope that Law has time right now. He realizes that his plan may have some holes in it.

But the answer comes soon. And just what he wants to read too.

**Message from Law**

_Can you read my thoughts?_

_I don’t have an appointment for the next hour, should I come over?_

He smiles at the letters on his phone. Placing a sloppy kiss on Nojiko’s cheek for preparing him lunch, he waves at her. "Thank you for the food! See ya later!"

“What? Where are you going? Are you not eating lunch here?” Comes the perplexed reply. But he’s already out of the kitchen, leaving her behind, confused at his way too good mood.

“NAMI! Can you make a large coffee please? Black, no sugar,” he shouts at the redhead while simultaneously writing back to Law.

**Sent Message**

_Nah, already on the way :D_

_-_

He gulps down his food on the way to the tattoo studio in what has to be a record time. No time to sit down and enjoy his meal, Luffy’s way to excited to see Law again. It’s the first time since Sunday that he will see his handsome face again and Luffy can’t wait.

Unlike last time he enters the studio without hesitation, a big grin on his face. He hopes for Law to greet him with his adorable lopsided smile and grabby hands for the coffee but what he finds instead is an empty room.

Someone’s here though, Luffy can hear voices coming from somewhere in the back. One of them unmistakably belongs to Law. The other one is female. There’s a heated argument going on, both voices heavy with annoyance.

“-alled yesterday. She was acting up in class. She _punched_ one of her classmates Law!” The female voice is calm but holds a bite to it that makes Luffy shudder. It’s somewhat…icy.

“I agree with you that she shouldn’t have done that. But how exactly am I to blame for her behavior?”

“It’s because you’re way too lenient with her. You let her get away with everything. She doesn’t know boundaries anymore.”

They are talking about Lami, Luffy figures, so that has to be her mother. Great. He thinks he maybe should leave but he already told Law that he’s coming. Damnit.

“Have you maybe considered talking to her? You know she probably had a reason. And unlike you I don’t think it-“

Law’s voice is getting closer, the clicking sound of high heels following it. He comes into sight and their eyes meet. Next to Law stands a woman with long, wavy green hair. Luffy’s first thought is that she is beautiful. That thought is gone as fast as it came though because honestly she looks intimidating as hell. Her eyes land on Luffy and he could swear the temperature just dropped a few degrees. That woman could probably freeze hell over with just one glance.

“-Luffy! Shit you’re already here… Sorry about this. Ah this is-“

He wants to introduce her but she doesn’t give him the chance. She strides towards Luffy with sure steps, eyes never leaving him. Judging him.

“So you’re that Luffy my daughter won’t shut up about. I’m Monet.” He takes her hand. It’s cold. Luffy feels uneasy around her but the one looking even more uncomfortable with the situation is Law himself.

Her hand is still gripping Luffy’s as she turns her head towards her ex. “Really Law? How predictable.”

“Wha-“

She finally lets go of his hand, eyeing him up and down instead. “You know, Law always had a talent for attracting pretty little things like you. Like moths to the flame.”

Luffy is at a loss of words. He doesn’t like her. At all. That’s something that rarely happens.

“That's enough," Law sounds _pissed. "_ Is there something else you need? Otherwise I would appreciate it if you leave.”

She huffs at him. “Oh don’t worry I’ll leave you two alone." She looks smug, but only for a second. "No TV or games for Lami. And you will talk with her about this.” She’s not asking, she’s demanding. If she’s always like this he really pities Law.

“I will. You know the way out.”

“No need to be such a gentleman," she huffs. "Bye boys.”

And like that she’s out the door, the sound of her heels slowly fading away in the distance.

“Luffy I’m _so_ sorry. I didn’t know she would be coming here otherwise I’d have told you to stay the hell away from here.”

Luffy laughs nervously. “Ah don’t worry about it. She’s… charming.” He tries to lift the mood but it’s not working, Law still looks like he wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

“Yeah if by ‘charming’ you mean a major bitch then sure.” He plumps down into one of the comfy looking leather chairs, putting his face in his hands.

Luffy puts the coffee he brought for Law in front of the miserable looking man and sits down on the chair across from him.

The hot beverage manages to put a slight smile back on his face. “We shouldn’t make this a habit. You bringing me coffee and having to put up with my crazy ex in exchange, I mean.” Luffy chuckles. It’s true, last time was pretty similar, only that they were arguing over the phone back then.

“Don’t even ask me why I was with her in the first place. I was young and dumb, okay.”

“I don’t judge you. I can see why, she’s very pretty.”

He takes a sip of his drink, almost moaning at the taste as if there’s nothing better in the world than coffee. “Yeah pretty annoying is what she is... Thanks for bringing me coffee, you’re a life savior.”

A soft smile finally found its way back to his face and Luffy is more than happy that he is the cause of that. “Nah, don’t mention it. So… Lami’s making trouble at school? Honestly can’t imagine that.”

“Apparently,” he lets out a heavy sigh, “but I’m sure she had a reason.”

Luffy mutters his agreement. He really can't see the sweet girl causing trouble. He doesn't want to dig deeper though. Law is clearly not in the mood to discuss the topic further and Luffy respects that. It's none of his business anyway.

Instead he gets up, taking the opportunity to look around a bit. After all he hadn’t really had the chance to inspect the studio last time. He stops at a wall full of photographs. The tattoos on them all look beautiful, all very professional. Law sure knows what he’s doing.

“Did you make all these?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, most of them.”

_Amazing,_ Luffy thinks. Not all the designs are his cup of tea but they all are very well made.

“They are fantastic! Do you draw them yourself?”

“Thank you," he smiles at the compliment. "Not all, sometimes the customers already have a picture they want. But most of the time they tell me roughly what they want it to look like and I draw it for them.”

So he’s not only really cool, smart and good looking but talented too? If Luffy ever thought there was a chance to get rid of his immense crush on this man then he can wave this possibility goodbye right now.

Law motions to a row of pictures to Luffy’s left. “These are from Shachi," he explains. "And on the wall over there are some of Ikakku’s works. You haven’t met her yet. She's a good friend. Very talented”

Oh, this is new information. “Ah, Shachi works here too?” He asks.

Law nods at him. “Peng too. He’s our piercer.”

Luffy makes his way over to where Law had said Shachi’s works are. The difference of the art style is hard to miss; his are more of a comic style. They look awesome as well.

“I never really thought about getting a tattoo, I think it wouldn’t suit me. But looking at these kinda makes me want one.”

Law laughs, the deep sound of it sending shivers down Luffy’s spine. “Well if you ever decide on it, you know where to get it.”

Luffy scrunches his eyebrows together and taps a finger on his lips as if thinking hard about something.

“Honestly I was thinking about going to the studio I saw downtown just the other day.”

Cocky smirk on the lips Law leans back in his chair. “Oh really? Well, that’s fine. I also thought about finding a new coffee shop by the way.”

They both laugh at the ridiculousness of his statement, knowing very well that Law is way too addicted to the pinwheel’s good coffee.

“Not gonna happen, we both know that,” he grins at him, not impressed with the weak threat.

“You’re right,” the smirk on his lips is somewhat dangerous, his eyes fixated on Luffy.

Law gets up from the chair then and marches towards Luffy, unhurried and something mischievous in his eyes. He stops only when he’s right in front of the teen; Luffy's nose almost touching his chest. So close that Luffy can smell his tempting scent with every breath he takes. He smells like coffee and ink and something that’s just _Law._ It's making his head swim.

He wants to take a step back, to bring some distance between them again, but it’s like he’s frozen on the spot, only managing to lift his head up away from the chest in front of him.

_Big mistake._

He finds the man towering over him stare right into his eyes, gold orbs shining with hunger and he’s just way _too fucking close_.

“Something wrong?” he teases. “You’re face is all red.”

The _audacity._

He speaks the words as a matter of fact and Luffy so badly wants to make a snarky remark. But he can’t. His brain stopped working completely as soon as their eyes met.

Luffy inhales sharply, trying to get his shit together, but all it does is for him to get another sniff of Law’s intoxicating scent. It’s getting into his head and he thinks he’s about to lose his goddamn mind.

Never before in his life has Luffy felt something similar and Law’s not even touching him! He’s just standing there with his full height towering over Luffy’s much smaller frame, eyes fixated on his lips.

What the fuck is happening?!

They were just teasing each other seconds ago and it was relaxed and fun. Now Luffy feels like the heavy atmosphere is going to crush him. His knees so weak, he's barely able to stand.

And Law is literally not doing _anything!_

Heart hammering inside his chest Luffy knows he has to get away _now._ Far away from Law to get his heart and his breathing back under control otherwise he’s going to faint.

He can’t get his body under control though, can’t force himself to move. But Law does…

He takes a large step back at the sound of the door slamming open.

Both of their heads snap towards the noise, finding a woman standing there leaned against the door, arms crossed and smirk on the lips.

“Yo Boss, working hard I see,” she snickers while throwing her curly brown hair behind her shoulders. “Did I interrupt something?”

“No, not at all.” Law seems unbothered but the annoyance in his voice betrays him. “You’re early, Ikkaku.”

The name sounds familiar. It’s the woman working here that Law mentioned earlier. Luffy barely manages to process the information; his brain is still in shut-down. Apparently she’s talking to him, waving her hand in front of his face at the lack of response.

“Hello? Someone there?”

Still in a daze he finally takes the other hand offered to him, wincing as he realizes how sweaty his palms are.

“I’m Ikkaku, the only sane person working here. And you are… let me guess. Luffy?”

Thank god he has found his voice again, although it comes out a little hoarse. “Huh? Yeah, how do you know?”

“Ah you know, it’s because I can read minds,” she chuckles at his dumbfounded expression, “or maybe it’s because you’re wearing a name tag.”

Can he _please_ start functioning properly again, that would be great.

“Well anyway it’s nice to meet you. Lami told me about you. Or should I say she gushed about you; that would be more accurate.”

Ikkaku seems to be nice and in other circumstances Luffy would love to talk to her. Right now though, he just wants to go. There’s not really an explanation for his behavior. It’s not like anything happened. Still, he can’t handle being near Law at the moment.

He fumbles with his phone in his pocket, glancing at the time when he finally manages to get it out. Almost half an hour left until his break is over.

“Ah y-yes really nice to meet you. I- err… I have to go now… have to go back to work. Sorry… I- Sorry.” He stutters, barely able to get the words out of his mouth.

He says goodbye, the words rushed out as he practically runs to the door without even looking at Law once.

The taller man calls after him but Luffy doesn’t listen. “Sorry I’m… I text you later. Bye!”

He dashes out of the studio and down the street, only slowing his tempo when he’s around the corner. Leaning against the wall he tries to regulate his breathing. What the fuck is wrong with him? Law must think he has lost his mind and honestly, he may be right. If he ever had any chance to get closer to him, Luffy’s pretty sure he has blown it today.

Good god, what is this man doing to him?

-

“Lu, you look like you saw a ghost.”

Nami’s voice is full of worry as she takes in his appearance. “Did something happen?”

Now, that’s a good question.

The honest answer would be no. Law didn’t do anything wrong. In fact he didn’t do anything at all besides standing maybe a little bit too close to Luffy. So Luffy’s reaction was overly dramatic. It’s just…

Law was obviously being flirty with him and Luffy can’t handle it.

He thinks back to the ferris wheel and how it had felt to have Law’s arm around him. He was a mess back then too and god if it always will be like this when Law’s close to him then please someone help him.

Why can’t he act normal around Law? Okay Luffy was never in love before in all of his nineteen years and it’s all so overwhelming and Law makes him so goddamn nervous and…

_STOP!_

Did he just think the ‘L' word? No, no, _no!_ Absolutely not. He is not in love, he has a big, fat crush that’s all. Anything else would be absurd.

So what if he fantasizes about waking up next to Law for the rest of his life and day dreams about picking up Lami after school to then get home and have a nice dinner, just the three of them. So what if he wants to read the little girl a bedtime story and afterwards go cuddle up in bed with Law.

These thoughts are normal when you’re interested in someone. Nothing out of the ordinary. Totally normal.

“Luffy, I’m talking to you! What’s wrong?”

He waves off Nami’s questions. She would only berate him about his stupid behavior and he can do without that just fine. There’s nothing to tell her anyway. Just Luffy making a fool of himself in Law’s presence. Go figure.

“Alright then, keep your secrets,” she sighs. “Did you at least ask him about the party?”

Oh.

_Fuck._

_-_

He’s at home after his shift is over; trying to make something edible out of the very limited selection his fridge has to offer. It’s not really helpful that he is an awful cook either, surviving on takeout most of the time. But money’s running low so he doesn’t really has a choice. Oh well, he’ll manage to make some Ramen without burning down his kitchen. Not to say that _that_ ever happened. No sir, definitely not.

He almost cuts off his finger while chopping vegetables because his mind keeps drifting to a certain someone. That’s nothing new these days but instead of the fluttery feeling he normally gets in his stomach, today it leaves a bitter taste on his tongue. He fucked up bad today, didn’t he? Law must think he is a complete mess now. And he is; so insecure that he didn’t even dare to look the older man in the eyes as he practically ran away from him. He thinks back to Monet, how confident she seemed. It was clear from their short encounter that she is absolutely sure of herself. And if that is Law’s type then Luffy is screwed for sure. All the encouragement from his friends that left him so hopeful, it’s all gone now.

Nami made it pretty clear that he has to call Law as soon as he has the time, otherwise she would murder Luffy in the most gruesome way possible. Dramatic as it sounds: he would prefer that over hearing Law’s voice again. It’s stupid, he knows that, but he can’t help it. The strong feelings he has are overwhelming him greatly. Maybe he should admit to himself that it is already way more than a little crush what he’s feeling about Law. However admitting this means it’s real. Which then leads to the possibility that he may get out of this with a broken heart. That’s not really what he wants his first romantic experience to be. Sure, everyone gets over their first heartbreak eventually. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t scare him though. So what if it makes him a coward? No matter how unhealthy that may be; he decides to bury his thoughts and feelings until he gets over Law. Then he can go back to his usual confident self and stop being the mess that he is right now.

The buzzing of his phone snaps him out of his thought process. Curiosity wins over his hunger and he puts the knife away to go grab his phone. Drying his hands, he glances at the device. The name popped up on the screen makes his heart miss a beat or two. _Law._

_Hey Luffy. Did I cross a line today? If so, please tell me. It kind of seemed like I scared you away. That wasn’t my intention. Is everything okay?_

So, Luffy was being an idiot and now Law blames himself? That’s just great.

What should he tell him now? That he doesn’t know how to be a normal, functioning human being when he’s close to Law? That he almost fainted just from Law being in his personal space? Certainly not. Instead he texts back that everything is fine and that he just had to hurry back to work. Which is a lie obviously, but he doesn’t have to know that.

**Message from Law**

_Okay, just had to make sure. And sorry again you had to deal with Monet. I know she can be scary._

Yeah Luffy would rather forget that he met her if he’s being honest. With her cold demeanor and Law’s grumpy nature Luffy has to wonder where Lami’s happy energy comes from. He had thought she would be more like her mother but that’s obviously not the case. Apparently thought she’s not always an angel. But Luffy really can’t see her being violent against her classmates at all.

**Sent Message**

_Ah, don’t worry about it. I think my heart turned into ice from her judging look but otherwise it’s fine lol What about Lami? Did you talk to her already?_

He gets a short ‘yes’ as answer and then a few seconds later his phone vibrates again. This time it’s a picture.

Luffy’s heart melts at the sight of Lami grinning into the camera. Bepo is napping in her lap and she’s happily scooping up what seems to be vanilla ice cream.

The caption reads: “We just got back from getting ice cream and are now starting a Ghibli marathon. Her favorite movies.”

Okay that’s very cute and all but Monet was pretty clear about the no TV rule. And from the impression he has of her, Luffy is sure she wouldn’t approve the ice cream either. Confused, he asks him what’s up with this.

**Message from Law**

_Yeah, remember she punched a classmate? Turns out he was making fun of another girl for having two moms. She says hi by the way. She misses you._

Now _that_ Luffy can get behind.

**Message from Law**

_I don’t approve of her getting violent but the reason is good enough for me, so now she gets a treat._

**Sent Message**

_OMFG! Tell her she is the best! I miss her too <3 I’d rather be with you two now to watch movies instead of being here alone in my shitty apartment tbh D:_

Wait. Did he just send this?

He starts panicking as soon as he hit send, even more so when the message goes to ‘read’ immediately. What the fuck was he thinking?! Seems like he not only has to rip his tongue out but cut his fingers off as well. Or, you know, he could just go live under a rock and never again come out. Sounds like a good plan to him.

His phone buzzes again and Luffy has to force himself to open the message, heart thumping heavy inside his chest.

**Message from Law**

_You can totally join us next time. ;)_

Luffy’s sure that he will get complaints from the neighbors the next day for the loud squeal that just left his mouth. But who cares? He can picture himself sitting next to Law on his couch with Lami there, watching silly movies together. And if that’s not worth squealing about then he doesn’t know what would be anymore.

What was that about burying his feelings? Not so great start…

-

A few hours later Luffy is searching for something to watch to pass the time but nothing appeals to him. He’s bored and the quiet in his apartment is driving him mad. He thinks about calling Zoro. Maybe he’s up for a run, that would help him clear his head.

Before he gets the chance to dial Zoro’s number the phone starts ringing in his hand. The caller is no other than Law himself. He answers the call and his cheeks heat up at the voice on the other end.

Damn him and his sexy voice!

“Hey Luffy. I just put Lami to bed and wanted to make sure you’re not feeling too lonely.”

Luffy is speechless for a few seconds. It’s as if Law could sense how he’s feeling. Loneliness is something he has to deal with often, ever since he moved out from his gramps. He was used to constant noise with him and his two brothers. Every day was full action with them, the house always filled with bickering or laughter. Now he is all alone with nothing but silence and he just can’t get used to it. He hates it, hates being alone.

He tells Law as much.

“I can imagine. I don’t mind some peace and quiet to be honest but every time Lami’s not here I miss the noise. It’s calming in its own way I guess.”

“Yeah… I really don’t like being alone for too long. It makes me uneasy… Ah, well a friend was just here but he couldn’t stay long so I’m really happy that you called.”

“A friend…?”

“Yeah. Sanji. He just brought me food. He’s a chef at the Baratie. A really popular restaurant, I’m sure you have heard of it. His food is the best! Anyway um.. he saved me from starvation because I may or may not have set my last pot on fire by accident…,” he admits a bit sheepish.

There’s a pause on the other end and then he hears a stifled laugh. “You did what? How exactly are you surviving on your own?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t without my friends. Speaking of them…”

This is his chance to ask him about the party but he hesitates. It’s already Thursday and the party is this Saturday he would probably decline anyway. Law’s a busy man; Luffy is sure he has better things to do than hang out with crazy people he doesn’t even know. But it won’t hurt to ask and Luffy really wants him to come… Maybe he will be better with that whole flirting thing if he has some liquid courage.

“Yes?”

“Ah… um… I know this comes on really short notice but it’s Nami’s birthday this Saturday. So… if you want to come you’re more than welcome. You could bring your friends too.”

He hears some shuffling on Law’s end. “Mhh this Saturday,” he muses, “that could work. You sure it’s okay for her if I come?”

Well … Nami practically forced him to invite Law, so Luffy assumes that yes, she is in fact okay with this.

“Actually she asked me to invite you, so yes, it’s okay. All my friends are crazy though so I have to warn you in advance.”

Law’s warm laugh makes his skin tingle. “What? You think you’re not crazy as well?” He asks, his voice teasing. “I would like to come. If you want me there, that is.”

“SURE!” He clears his throat. “I mean sure. Yeah, whatever, would be cool if you can make it.”

“Okay,” Law snickers, not fooled by Luffy’s bad attempt to play it cool. “Just text me the details later, okay? Have to end the call now, I can hear a little ghost wandering around.”

Luffy can make out Lami’s drowsy voice in the background: “Daddy I can’t sleep…”

God that's so fucking cute. What the hell!

“Go back to bed, sweetie, I’ll be right with you. Luffy? Sorry, we’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”

“Ah sure! Give her a smooch from me and tell her she’s awesome!”

“Will do,” Law chuckles. “Good night, Luffy.”

“Good night…”

Law ends the call and Luffy wants to scream until his voice gives out. And then he wants to scream some more.

The thought of Law and Lami makes his heart feel so warm, the butterflies in his stomach are going crazy. The little family… Luffy wants that. He wants to be a part of it.

Shit.

He can lie to himself all he wants; there's no point in denying it anymore.

He’s in love.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. *throws over 7000 words of nonsense at you*
> 
> Hope you enjoy the new chapter. :)

“What kind of dumb question is that, Law? If the redhead and her hot sister will be there of course we’re coming. Right Peng?”

Penguin nods enthusiastically at Shachi’s statement. Law can only shake his head at their behavior. Of course, he should have known; as long as there are pretty girls involved Shachi and Penguin are down for it.

“Absolutely. Man those two are fucking hot,” he swoons. “And maybe there will be a lovely lady or a hot guy for you too Ikkaku.”

She quirks an eyebrow at him but otherwise is unbothered by his teasing, long used to their shenanigans. “You seem to forget, my dear Peng, that I’m not as desperate as you two are. You don’t have to play wingman for me. Focus on your own love life,” she grins at them, “ah right. You both don’t have one, my bad.”

Ouch.

It’s always the same with them: constant teasing and bickering and in the end Law has to be the voice of reason. Before Shachi and Penguin get the chance to shoot back, Law intervenes. They are way too noisy and he can’t focus on the design he’s currently working on. He would actually like it to be finished before they open the studio in about an hour.

“Can you guys shut up,” he eyes the drawing before him and sighs, still not quite happy with it yet. “I get that you’re all coming then?” 

Now the attention is on him, his three best friends grinning from ear to ear at him and Law immediately regrets that he opened his mouth.

“Why yes, of course,” Ikakkus croons, “we can’t miss you making your new cute friend all flustered, now can we?”

Seriously, they could have said 'yes we'd like to come too' and then get on with their lives. Plain and simple. But no, of course they have to make a big deal out of it. That's what he gets for being nice and asking them to come along.

“I agree,” Shachi chirps. Already forgotten is Ikkaku's mean comment from earlier at the chance to torture him instead. Typical. “Will you finally make a move tomorrow?”

Law raises a single eyebrow at his friend. “Who says I’m interested in him?”

He keeps his voice neutral, expression flat and pretending to be busy with his work to avoid discussing the topic further. But being friends for more than thirteen years means they know him way too well. They’re not fooled.

“Ah c’mon Law, he’s exactly your type. Don’t even try to deny it.”

They are right, of course. Ever since he first laid eyes on Luffy, he knows that he would love to take him to bed a few times. His pretty face and bright smile are pushing all of Law’s buttons. He can imagine it perfectly: Luffy sprawled out on his bed, breathing heavily and his face flushed from pleasure. To ravish his soft looking lips and caress every inch of his toned body… Oh how Law would love to make him beg and moan in pure lust.

It’s more than likely that he isn’t very experienced too and Law would be lying if he said that this wouldn’t make it even more exciting for him. To think that Law could be the first one to touch his soft skin like that… The boy so pure and innocent; if he was a white, untouched canvas Law wants to be the one to make a messy painting out of him. A fucking masterpiece with Law’s signature all over it.

“Plus,” Ikkaku says, snapping Law out of his inappropriate thoughts “he’s totally gone for you. It’s cute.”

Now, Law is not an idiot. It’s obvious that the teen is attracted to him. And in all honesty it’s more than amusing to make him flustered. He’s having a great time with teasing Luffy; the rosy cheeks and shy stuttering making the boy even more adorable. So yes, he's pretty sure that Luffy likes him. Why not go for it?

Well, there’s just a teeny tiny little problem.

He always makes sure that Lami doesn’t meet his flings. In this case though she didn’t just already met Luffy - even worse - she’s very much attached to him. And being the little devil that she is, she tried to get them together from day one. That’s out of the question, obviously.

So you see, Law definitively doesn’t want to hook up with someone his daughter is so smitten with. And it’s not only that.

He actually genuinely likes Luffy. His bubbly personality is a joy to be around with and his energy contagious. He’s fun to hang out with and Law can see why Lami adores him so much: he too became fond of the teen immediately.

Law doesn’t admit it but he needs people like this in his life. It’s no coincidence all his friends are crazy bastards in contrast to his own serious nature. And no matter how annoyed he acts to be by his friends or even his dad; he actually thrives on it.

So naturally he was drawn in by Luffy’s sunshine personality right away.

That’s not something he wants mess up just for some fun. Still, he can’t stop himself from flirting with the teen. It’s just too much fun and his reactions way too delightful. But he will leave it at that. After all there’s nothing against some harmless flirting.

“Mind your own business, all three of you,” he snaps at his friends. Law has long given up explaining to them that it won’t happen. They won’t listen anyway.

“Yeah, yeah whatever man. Still I bet fifty bucks that you will fuck him tomorrow. Who’s in on the bet?”

_You can wave that money goodbye._ But seriously, why do they have to be like this? Betting on his love life, really? He wants to tell him off for it but just then his phone starts ringing. The design is nowhere near finished and he's not in the mood to deal with anyone right now. One glance at the display though, he sees it's the one person he would never ignore, no matter what: Donquixote Rosinante, better known as Corazon.

He answers the call just to be greeted by a loud ‘ouch’ and a fit of curses afterwards. Nothing new there. “Dad?”

“Oi is it Cora? Say hi from me!” Peng yells but Law shushes him.

“Dad?” Still nothing other than loud shuffling noises on the other end. “Stupid fucking… oh! Law, my boy, how are you?”

Law sighs long and heavy at his dads’ clumsiness. Honestly he should be used to his talent for tripping on thin air after all this years but it’s still baffling. “I think I should be the one asking. Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes,” he reassures, “just had the urge to hug the floor apparently. I’m fine.”

It’s a miracle that he doesn’t break his bones more often. “Seriously, you have to be more careful,” Law mutters more to himself. “Is there a reason you called?”

Cora huffs at that. “What? Do I need a reason to call my precious son?”

“No of course not but-“

“But there is in fact something I wanted to tell you!”

Oh, really? Who would have thought.

“Guess whom I’ve just met!”

Oh no. That cheery voice can only mean something disastrous.

“How about you just tell me,” he replies dryly.

“I met your new friend, Luffy!” _Oh no._ Then he adds in an accusing tone: “Law why didn’t you tell me that he’s such a cutie?”

Law rubs the bridge of his nose and counts to ten. “Dad. What did you do to embarrass me?”

“Why do you always assume the worst, Law?” Cora whines. “We just had a nice chat, that’s all.”

Law wants to believe it, really. But speaking from experience he knows that there’s more. Wait for it…

“Okay, I may have spilled my coffee all over him.”

And there it is.

“It was an accident. You know what a klutz I am. But he was very nice about it. Really, such a lovely boy. You should bring him over for dinner sometimes.”

Oh c’mon, not him too! “Yeah sure maybe sometimes.” _Or maybe not at all,_ he adds in his mind. But same as with his friends, Cora knows him too well. “Law, don’t be like that. He’s a very sweet boy. You know, I think he would be good for you. After all you’re my son and as your father I know these things. And he’s cute. You should give him a chance. I mean, when was the last time you dated someone?”

No, absolutely not. Law doesn’t do relationships. He has a family. His daughter, his dad and his friends are everything he needs. And if he wants sex, he has no problems to get it whatsoever. Relationships are way too much work and he has his hands already full with raising his daughter. He’s perfectly happy with his life as it is, thank you very much.

His friends are snickering in the background; they already figured what they’re talking about. He flips them off. “Dad stop it. Why is it that everyone around me is more invested in my love life than I am?” Seriously, though.

Cora sighs. “It’s because we all love you and want what’s best for you.” Uh huh. And why exactly do they think they get to decide what’s best for him?

The line is silent for a few seconds and Cora gets the hint that Law is done talking about this.

“Anyway,” he says after a while, “I wanted to ask you if you want to come over for dinner with Lami tonight.”

“She’s with Monet until Sunday.”

“Oh,” he sounds disappointed. ”Well but you could come, right? And bring your friends, I miss them.”

Law agrees, Cora wouldn’t accept a no for an answer anyway, and they end the call. Glancing at his friends he asks: “Dinner at my dad’s tonight?” As expected they start cheering, chanting “Cora” over and over. Well, they love his dad; sometimes it feels as if they are his children too. Law can only shake his head at them fondly until his buzzing phone catches his attention.

Luffy sent him a location.

_Party starts at 9 but we’ll be there earlier so just come whenever it works best for you. I really hope you can make it!!! :D_

He tries to ignore the warmth spreading through his chest but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t fight back the small smile creeping up on his face.

_We’ll be there._

-

„So, when will Mister tall, dark and handsome show up?” Nojiko asks him and Luffy shoots her a nasty glare.

They are busy filling the fridge with beer and various bottles of alcohol for the party. Zeff, Sanji’s father, was nice enough to leave them the house for the night, much to Nami’s delight. It’s much more spacious than Nami’s and Vivi’s apartment and even has big garden with a pool. So of course they accepted the offer right away. She invited a few people from her classes too so it won’t be just the usual crew and the house will be pretty full. They hadn’t had a big party in a while and after all they’re all in their early twenties except for Robin and Franky so they all look forward to it. Even Luffy, who isn’t much of a drinker and certainly not known for holding his liquor, intends to get wasted tonight. His head is already slightly buzzing from the shots they had earlier but he’s in a fantastic mood and feels a little more courageous for when Law will show up. This is his chance and his friends are all aware of that.

“Nojiko, please. It’s your sister’s birthday; we should focus on her and maybe not talk about Law for a change?”

Nami stops her task of filling the bowls with snacks at the mention of her. She grins at Luffy: “That’s right, it’s my birthday. So y’all have to do what I want.” Um, Luffy is pretty sure that’s not how this works but okay. “And I want all of us to tease the shit out of you.”

“Don’t worry Luffy,” Vivi chuckles, “I try to hold her back a little.” Thank god she’s not as evil as her girlfriend. And if someone is capable of taming Nami it’s her for sure. “But I admit I’m really curious. I want to know what all the fuss is about.”

“Oh please,” Sanji says, “he can’t be _that_ hot.”

“Are you jealous, perverted cook?” Zoro asks, opening his fifth or so beer.

“What was that, moss head?!”

And they’re fighting again. Don’t they ever get tired about being on each other’s throat?

Luffy sighs, “He said he’ll be here around ten, maybe a little later.”

It’s nowhere near ten; hell the party hasn’t even started yet. But that doesn’t stop Luffy from checking the time every five minutes, hoping that the time miraculously flies by and Law will finally show his handsome face. Patience was never his strong suit.

“Don’t worry Luffy,” Robin sneaked up behind him and puts a glass in front of him. He doesn’t dare to ask her what it is. “We won’t embarrass you,” she chuckles, “at least we’ll try not to.” How reassuring. He takes a big gulp from the drink she brought him, wincing at the taste. Why does alcohol have to be so gross? And more importantly: why does Robin always have to put so much in their drinks? He feels dizzy already. However, that doesn’t stop him from taking a big sip again, almost emptying the glass.

If Luffy keeps this up he will be wasted before Law even shows up.

-

The house gets fuller by the second and the music’s blaring so loud, it’s hard to hold a simple conversation. People are dancing and drinking and it seems everyone is having a great time. Nami and Zoro are in the middle of a drinking contest, throwing back shot after shot while being cheered on by the rest of the crew. Luffy would have already passed out after the amount of alcohol these two are pouring down their throats and they’re not even slightly drunk yet. As if their glasses are being filled with water instead of vodka. It’s honestly amazing and maybe a bit worrying, Luffy thinks as he watches them prepare the next shot.

“Can you stop fidgeting around?!” Usopp, who’s sitting next to him on the couch, slams his hand down on Luffy’s thigh to stop him from tapping his foot on the floor. He hadn’t even realized he was doing it. “I’m sure he will be here soon.” Luffy lets out a shaky breath. It’s already past ten now and no trace of Law yet. He gets more and more nervous the more time passes. _Maybe he can’t make it after all… or maybe he forgot about it. No he said he'll come. Or has he changed his mind?_

Nami hands him a shot, apparently she and Zoro gave up on their little contest and agreed on a tie. “Do me a favor and drink this. To calm your nerves.” Luffy is not sure if more alcohol will really help calming him down but he obeys anyway, throwing it back in one go. He gags at the taste and the unpleasant burn in his throat. _Gross._

“OW Luffy,” he hears Franky call out to him. “Look who just arrived.”

Luffy’s head snaps towards the direction Franky’s voice is coming from. And even though he knew exactly that Law will be standing there he still forgets how to breathe as soon as he spots him. In fact he could swear that the whole room goes silent for a few seconds, but maybe that’s just him. However, there are a few girls gawking at Law, giggling behind their hands, and Luffy wants to slap every single one of them.

Law looks gorgeous. That’s nothing new but Luffy can’t help being struck at the sight of him. He looks like a fucking superstar, marching in like he owns the goddamn place and he sure as hell attracts more than just a few curious glances. 

Nami gets up to greet the new guests, introducing herself to Shachi, Penguin and Ikakku. “I’m happy that you could make it.”

“Sure, thanks for inviting us,” Law says as he hands her a bottle of wine. “I didn’t know what you would like. Happy birthday by the way.”

“Ah that wasn’t necessary,” she smiles at him, “but thank you. Please make yourself comfortable.”

“Oh that’s a good one,” Robin takes the bottle from Nami and inspects the label. “Good taste,” she winks at him. “Nice to meet you again." She then goes to introduce herself to the others.

Vivi, Sanji and Usopp greet them as well and just then Zoro comes strolling back into the living room with a bowl of snacks in his hand, putting in down on the table. He too greets the newcomers, stopping in front of Law for a few seconds longer than the others. They participate in some kind of staring battle, filling the room with tension for a split second. It vanishes as quickly as it came though.

“Zoro.”

“Law.”

They nod at each other.

“Beer?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He motions for the taller man to follow him and they walk off towards the kitchen. Luffy and Nami exchange looks. “What was that?” He mouths at her. She shrugs, “I think they became friends. But hell if I know, I don’t speak men.”

They come back shortly after, each of them with a few bottles, handing them out to the others. Usopp gets up from his spot next to Luffy and motions for Law to sit down, going over to one of the chairs on the opposite side. _God,_ can they make it even more obvious? Law gladly takes the offered seat and sits down. He grins at Luffy. “Hi.”

“Um… hi.”

_C’mon you know more words than that, get it together!_ “Um... I met your dad yesterday.”

That had been an... interesting encounter. Thank god he had ordered a cold drink or else Luffy would have been burned pretty badly. But he was very sorry about it and even bought him a cupcake as an apology, so that was nice. He would have never guessed for the man to be related to Law but the blond man had recognized Luffy's name on his name tag. To say he was exicted as he told Luffy that his son had talked about him would be an understatement. So yeah, apparently Law told his father about him and that's just... let's just say he was very happy for the rest of the day.

He chuckles at the memory but Law seems not really amused by it. "Yeah he told me... sorry about that. He's really fucking clumsy."

"Nah he was very nice and funny. I like him." _Okay so far so good. Now say something nice, Luffy. Maybe compliment his outfit. Or would that be too much?_ "Anyway... I'm really happy that you're here."

“Sure,” he smiles the softest smile and Luffy's heart melts. “Though I have to say I feel a little out of place here. I don’t go to parties much.” The ' _especially not college parties'_ remains unsaid but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that that's what he wanted to say.

“Ah c’mon you sure had some wild parties too…,” Usopp comments and Law raises his eyebrows at him.

“Back when I was young, you want to say?”

He pales instantly, sputtering “No, no, that’s not what I meant!” while waving his hands in front of him in defense.

“No it’s okay, you’re right, my college times were pretty wild,” Law snorts, “nothing more exciting than changing diapers and dealing with a crying baby.”

Usopp pales even more, if that’s even possible. It’s silent for a moment until they all burst out in laughter. That was enough to break the ice; they start talking all at once, laughing and joking around. Luffy's stomach does a flip, he's more than happy that he was right: they fit right into their group.

Vivi asks Law for a picture of Lami and squeals when he shows her one. “Oh my god she’s so cute!”

Shachi snorts “Yeah no one knows where she got it from.”

Law casually flips him off. “Please, we all know she’s got her incredible good looks from me.”

Luffy wants to agree but it will take two or three more drinks until he gets there. Law tucks his phone away and lifts his arm up to rest it on the back of the couch right behind Luffy’s head and his knee nudges his leg lightly. _Fuck,_ he has to do this on purpose. Well at least this time he can blame the color on his face on the booze…

“Okay guys,” Nami speaks up, “our new friends here are a few drinks behind and I think we should change that. Can’t have anyone sober here.” She shoots Luffy a mischievous look. God, this woman. It’s pretty clear that she intends to get Law drunk. Luffy only rolls his eyes at her. But her plan fails terribly as Law shuts her down immediately, much to her dismay.

“Sorry, can’t drink much. I’m driving.” He explains.

“Oh c’mon, you can crash here.”

Sanji looks like he wants to protest but decides against it. After all he’ll never disagree with a lady, so instead he just opens and shuts his mouth a few times like a fish on dry land.

But Law just smiles apologetically at her and shakes his head.

“C’mon Law, I could drive home,” Ikkaku says, “when was the last time you got really drunk off your ass?”

“Yeah Law, when was the last time you were fun?” Shachi teases him.

“Let me think… probably the last time you got laid, so a very long time ago,” he shoots back and the room erupts in laughter. “Shut up,” the redhead mutters defeated.

“Great, now that’s out of the way,” Nami beams as if Law at any point had agreed to drink, “we should do something to get to know each other better.”

“How about we play truth or dare?” Penguin suggests.

“NO!” They all shout in unison and get puzzled looks from the others.

Robin chuckles. “You see, every time we play truth or dare it's likely for one of us to end up in the hospital.” More confused looks. Robin takes pity on them and starts to elaborate. “Well last time for example, we had to rush to the hospital because Luffy broke his leg.” Luffy giggles at the memory. _Ah yes, good times._

“Because of a game?” Law gawks at him. “How?”

“Ah,” Luffy sheepishly grins at him, “Zoro dared me to do a back flip from the roof of his house.”

Their new friends stare at him with eyes as big as saucers. He doesn’t blame them though, normal people dare each other to make prank calls and stuff. But then again, Luffy and his crew are not really what could be considered as ‘normal’, so these things escalate fairly quickly among them.

“Hey I could have totally done it,” Luffy defends himself. Maybe just to impress Law a bit. Just maybe. “But the dare included drinking a few shots beforehand so I was rather tipsy.” Law eyes him warily but it’s true. Luffy is very athletic and he would like to prove it to him but well… he’s more than tipsy right now and breaking bones is not exactly the best way to impress someone. Better show him when he’s sober. Luffy is pretty flexible too and he can think of a few scenarios to show him _that…_

“Y’all are crazy,” Shachi mutters under his breath and Nami smiles a blinding smile at him as if it had been a compliment.

“Why, thank you. Glad that you noticed. But then, that was one of the more harmless incidents. Better don’t ask. Anyway, no emergencies on my fucking birthday so that’s off the table.”

“How about ‘never have I ever’,” Sanji proposes “So, we can get to know each other better without the risk of someone,” he glances at Franky, “burning my dad’s house down.”

“Plus we can get wasted, great idea Sanji. Any objections?”

None of them protest and Robin starts to fill their glasses. The girls grin way too smugly for Luffy’s liking. He knows exactly that they plan to get either him or Law drunk. Or both of them.

Nami claps her hands together. “Alright everyone has a drink? Great, I’ll start.” She smiles sweetly at Law, never breaking eye contact. “Never have I ever gotten a girl pregnant.”

He laughs at her without any humor in it but grabs his drink nonetheless. “Funny,” he says dryly and takes a big gulp.

Vivi chuckles. “Okay, my turn. Never have I ever slept with a man.”

Law, Zoro, Robin, Usopp and Ikkaku take a sip. Well, if there was still any uncertainty left after Law’s obvious flirting then that’s cleared up now too. Cool, cool. Internally Luffy is screaming right now.

Sanji’s turn. He eyes the new group suspiciously, eyes lingering on Law for a few seconds. “Never have I ever… used someone just for sex.” Everyone except for Luffy, Vivi, Usopp and Sanji drinks. Now, Luffy may be a little slow sometimes but he doesn’t have to be an intellectual to know that Sanji wanted to prove something to him. And yes Luffy’s stomach dropped as he saw Law drink but honestly he didn’t expect anything else. He’s a good looking man and he never seemed as the type of guy who never had sex outside of relationships. Luffy doesn’t blame him and it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want something serious either. Nami always said that relationships aren’t for her and she had countless flings before they met Vivi. And look at them now, how happy they are together.

The game goes on and it’s Zoro’s turn. Typical for him he tries to get everyone drunk as quickly as possible (maybe to not feel so alone with his um… concerning drinking habit) and thus always uses the most idiotic things to get everyone to drink. No, honestly, he once had the nerve to say ‘never have I ever taken a shower’. Ridiculous, for real though. He clears his throat, already grabbing his own drink. “Never have I ever kissed someone.”

Everyone drinks. Well, almost everyone. Law glances at Luffy’s still untouched glass and raises a single eyebrow at the teen. “Really?” He asks, baffled. “Never?”

Luffy turns beet red and starts fidgeting with his hands nervously. He avoids looking the older men in the eyes. “No, never,” he admits. God, this is so embarrassing. But Law only lets out a soft “Huh.” His face keeps a neutral expression but his eyes are shimmering, fixated on Luffy’s mouth while he’s biting his own bottom lip for a fleeting moment. But Luffy _did_ catch it, the action so small and probably insignificant but oh boy does it send shivers down his spine. His head is spinning and his vision blurry but he feels as if he’s not nearly drunk enough. So he grabs his drink, chugging the full glass down in two big gulps. He feels dizzy when he puts it back down.

Until now Luffy had thought he was doing pretty good. Now, not so much. And the alcohol isn’t helping either. In fact it’s only making it worse. He’s well too aware how close Law is sitting next to him all of a sudden, his leg still brushing his own just ever so slightly. It’s enough to set his skin on fire. God this man will be the death of him.

Busy with his inner meltdown he almost misses that the game is still going on. Only when he hears the deep, silky voice next to him he pays attention again.

“Um… okay, never have I ever-“

“-had I any trouble getting every girl I want, right?”

A girl chirps while batting her fake lashes at Law, ogling him shamelessly. When exactly she approached them Luffy doesn’t know. She seems familiar, probably a girl from one of Nami’s classes. Mikita or something is her name if Luffy remembers correctly. But who knows, he’s terrible with names and the girl is rather bitchy, or at least he always had this impression of her. Now though he knows for certain: she smiles at Law sweetly, playing with a strand of her short blonde hair. Luffy wants to murder her.

“Nami, why didn’t you tell me that you know such a handsome man?” She croons. From Nami’s expression it’s pretty clear that she wasn’t invited. “Anyway, couldn’t hide him from me forever.” She fucking winks at Law and Luffy wants to puke. "I'm Mikita. What’s your name, handsome?”

_Deep breaths, Luffy_.

If this bitch keeps up with her shitty, flirty attitude he is going to strangle her and Nami looks ready to throw hands as well.

“I’m Law. Nice to meet you.” He introduces himself and smiles at her. Luffy hopes it’s out of pure politeness and nothing else. “May I?” Without giving Law the chance to say something she leans down and takes his drink out of his hand, practically shoving her breasts in his face and _fuck_ Luffy can’t take this anymore.

He gets up from the couch with so much force the table almost gets knocked over. Muttering a short “I’m getting something else to drink” he flees from his friends, not once looking back.

Why the hell did he think it was a good idea to invite Law? Of course there were going to be a lot of pretty girls here and of course half of them were going to be horny for Law. A wave of jealousy rushes through him. He has no right to feel this way, he knows that and still… Everyone else is better at flirting than him. He’s just being awkward around Law so in the end there’s no one else to blame but himself when Law rather pays attention to them instead of him. He doesn’t want to see him flirting with other girls though. These bitches only want to get in his pants and would probably run off as soon as they know he has a daughter. Not like Luffy, who wants to be a part of the family. And he wants to prove it to Law, he just doesn’t know how and that's honestly so frustrating.

He has trouble walking and he can’t quite focus his vision but that sure as hell doesn’t stop him from beelining straight to the kitchen to drown the shitty jealous feeling in booze. It didn't occur to him that the alcohol rushing through him is the reason for him to overreact in the first place.

On his way he gets held up by various people who try to chat with him, more than one girl asking about 'his friend' among them. Luffy shakes them all off as politely as he can manage.

In the kitchen he grabs the nearest bottle he can find and takes a huge swig of it. The taste doesn’t bother him anymore but it takes a huge effort for him to keep his balance steady. The world around him is spinning. He takes another swig nonetheless.

“Luffy, I think you’ve had enough,” a familiar voice says as the bottle gets taken out of his grip gently. He wants to protest but even with his blurry vision he can see the concern on Nami’s face so he lets her put the Whiskey bottle away. Or was it Rum? “You shouldn’t have run off all of a sudden,” she smiles smugly, “you didn’t even get to see the look on Mikita’s face as Law turned down all her advances.” _Huh?_ “Was pretty funny,” she continues at his dumbfounded expression. “She probably thought until now that she could get every man she wants. Stormed off and seemed pretty furious about it. I think she even left. Since she wasn’t even invited I can’t say that I mind.”

“Huh?” Luffy takes some time to process the information. Law isn’t interested in her? Was this all just in his head? If he wasn’t so drunk he probably would feel stupid right now.

“Oh Lu,” Nami sighs, “you’re an idiot. He only has eyes for you ever since he arrived. Stop doubting yourself.” If only it was that easy. “And for the love of god please stop drinking. You should lie down for a bit.”

"Nu-uh 'm not drunk!" He's aware that his ability to speak is highly affected by the alcohol by now and it takes a great effort for him not to stumble over his words. Still he's way too stubborn to listen to her advice. She's right of course and a part of him knows it but now that he knows Law wasn't flirting with that stupid girl his energy is back, buzzing through him with full force. The sudden shift of his mood almost giving himself whiplash. He wants to do something fun now, he's not tired at all.

"God, Luffy you're such an awful drunk! I know that look in your eyes, don't even think about doing something stupid," she almost begs him.

"But Namiiii, I'm not tired. Let's do something! We should dance or-"

"Or you could just go to sleep," she tries again. "You can't even stand upright anymore..."

She's right. But then, when do drunk people ever listen?

“I agree. You’re swaying pretty dangerously.” That’s Law’s voice, Luffy would recognize it everywhere. Shit, how long is he standing there? Did he listen to their previous conversation about him? If so, he doesn’t let it show and Nami is calm as well so probably not.

“Not much of a drinker, huh?” He grins at Luffy. Damn that sexy grin, that shouldn’t be allowed. “You should listen to her and take a nap.”

“Nooo, I’m not tired! I feel great!”

That’s right, he feels fucking fantastic and he has to do something. Something like… oh!

“We should go jump into the pool!” He shouts cheerfully. Who says drunk people don’t have great ideas?

Nami looks at him in shock; she doesn’t seem to be too thrilled about his plan. Luffy doesn’t really get why; it’s a good plan after all. It’s well past midnight already but the temperature is still nice enough. She doesn’t have to worry about him catching a cold. “Luffy you can’t swim!” She sounds alarmed but eh… who cares.

“Yeah but I can try.” Can’t be that hard now, can it? He darts off despite Nami's panicked cry.

“Law! Stop him!” He hears her shout, clearly distraught. He doesn’t pay it any mind.

-

The backyard is filled with people, everyone as drunk as himself. He can spot a few couples groping at each other thinking that no one will notice in the darkness of the night. Luffy ignores them.

He stops in front of the pool, the water shimmers in the bright moonlight. It’s mesmerizing. Luffy is drawn to it, the cool water almost calling out to him. 

It's true, he doesn't know how to swim but he can still try. This time it will work he's sure.

Not even bothering to get rid of his clothes he wants to go for the jump only to find that he suddenly can't move at all. Trying to find out what is stopping him he realizes that two strong arms are wrapped firmly around his middle. Warmth spreads in his stomach as he stares at the black lines decorating the tan skin.

“Luffy,” comes the soothing voice, “stop it.”

He hears the voices from his friends somewhere behind him. Full of worry and anger. But he can’t focus on them. Law is still holding him in his arms, no indication of letting him go anytime soon, in fear he will do something stupid. That’s fine, Luffy doesn’t want him to let go anyway.

“Luffy are you crazy?!” Nami shrieks. "Why do you always have to worry us when you're drunk, goddamnit!" She’s obviously furious.

“You should go to bed. Sanji sure will let you sleep in his room, right?” Robin suggests in a calm voice and Sanji nods. “Yeah, you better sleep it off.”

But he’s not tired. He wants to stay here with Law. Why are they making such a fuss, seriously. He just wanted to go for a swim.

He gets dragged away from the shimmering water, the arms no longer around him but still holding on to him, steadying him so he doesn’t stumble.

“You’re such an awful drunk, seriously,” Usopp scolds him, trying to conceal his worries.

“’m not. You’re all no fun ‘s the problem.” He slurs. From the look on their faces, he gets that he doesn’t even have to try arguing. Maybe they are right and he should go to bed. The people around already look at them funny.

“Fine ‘m going to bed. But home. Have to feed the cat.”

“Luffy,” Zoro deadpans at him, “you don’t have a cat.” No? He could swear he has one.

“’ight. The dog then.”

Nami runs her hand over her face in exasperation. “You don’t have a dog either. Man you’re really out of it.”

“I can bring him home, if he doesn’t want to crash here. I didn’t drink that much, I can still drive.” Luffy perks up at that. Law wants to bring him home? Him alone with Law without his annoying and overly worried friends? Hell yes!

Zoro sighs. “As long as you promise to bring him home safe.”

Sanji argues that it would be better to just put him to bed here but Zoro has a point. “Listen, idiot. You know that if he’s set on something we can’t change his mind. If he wants to go home he will go home.”

Franky agrees with him. “That’s right, this way we at least know he will make it home safe instead of sneaking out and get hit by a car or something.”

Nami eyes Law sceptically. “You sure you’re good to drive?” Man why are they still discussing this? Luffy wants to be alone with Law already. He starts getting impatient and on top of that he has the need to move, to do something. Something reckless.

“Alright, let me give you my number so you can text me when he’s home.” Zeroing in and out of the conversation it seems they finally agreed on it, thank god.

Law is talking to his friends, apologizing for letting them walk home or something. Luffy has had enough; he grabs Law’s hand and drags him off. “Let’s gooo already,” he whines. The older man does nothing to get out of Luffy’s grip, he even squeezes his hand lightly and… _oh_ that’s nice. They are holding hands. _They are holding hands!_

The roles have reversed and Law is dragging him now because… well because Luffy is busy staring at their intertwined hands instead of moving. Law's hands look so nice with his long fingers and the deep black letters on it and he can’t help but wonder what they would feel like-

“Don’t puke in my car please.” Law looks at him with a serious face but his voice is more teasing. At least Luffy thinks that it is; it’s kinda hard to think straight when the world is spinning so much.

“I don’t want to go home yet. Let’s go eat something!”

“No, I promised your friends I’ll bring you home and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

But the night is still young and Luffy isn’t tired yet. “No! I feel the urge to do something stupid,” he declares.

“Luffy, NO!” Law calls after him but it’s too late he’s already running off.

“Wohooo!” He shouts gleefully into the night as he runs towards the park near Sanji’s house. His legs are a bit wobbly and he stumbles a few times but he’s still a fast runner and Law is nowhere to be seen as he looks back. He chuckles to himself as he starts climbing up the first tree he comes across, the need to burn off his energy overwhelming. Already pretty high up he finally spots Law in the distance. It’s hard to tell in the dark but he looks terrified.

“Jesus Luffy, are you insane?! You’re going to break your neck!”

Geez why does he have to act so concerned too, Luffy knows what he’s doing. At least as far as a drunk 19 year old can know what he’s doing. One look down an into Law’s worried face though he decides to have mercy on the man. He readies himself to jump down and manages to land - not really graceful - but safe back on the ground. His wobbly legs protest against holding his weight though and he plops down, his back hitting the soft grass pushing the air out of his lungs for a moment. Law's alarmed voice calls out to him and Luffy giggles. It's actually kinda cute that he's worried about him.

“’m fine, ‘m fine.” He doesn't even try to get up and gazes up at the stars instead, captivated by their beauty. Patting the spot next to him he tries to coax Law into lying down with him. The sight of the stars in the cloudless night sky is way too beautiful for Law to miss. He hears him sigh, probably thinking about just dragging the teen back to his car.

He decides against it and sits down next to Luffy, joining him in the grass. “You’re more exhausting to deal with than Lami, just so you know,” he complains but his voice is fond.

Luffy chuckles, “you have to lie down too, ‘s very pretty. The stars I mean. Though the ground ‘s moving, ‘s a bit annoying.” Law laughs even though Luffy didn’t tell a joke. But it’s okay. Law’s laugh is beautiful; he wants to hear it all the time.

His back aches from hitting the ground and his head is spinning like crazy and yet… he feels completely at ease. The feeling of the soft grass underneath him tickling his skin, the light breeze playing with his hair and the warmth spreading over to him from the body lying next to him… it’s peaceful. It’s perfect.

His eyelids grow heavier by the minute as the two men lie next to each other gazing at the stars in silence. Luffy can hear Law’s steady breathing and it almost lulls him to sleep. Oh how he would love to lay his head down on his chest, falling asleep to the sound of his beating heart.

“Law.” He whispers softly. The man next to him hums to let him know that he had heard him. “I really like you, you know,” he admits, words coming out way too slurred for his liking. He continues anyway. “You’re such a great father and you’re really nice and smart too. And even though you’re so grumpy you still are very funny.”

Law doesn’t say anything and Luffy wonders if he maybe fell asleep but he continues on. Not even fully registering what exactly he’s saying but once he started talking he can’t hold the words back anymore. “And you're kind and tall and yeah that has nothing to do with your personality but I mean wow you’re even taller than Zoro. And your tattoos are so cool and yeah... I just really like you.”

It’s quiet for a while again and Luffy almost dozes off but he’s forcing his eyes to stay open. He wants to enjoy this moment for a while longer.

“And so unfairly attractive, like really… ‘m sure that’s not even legal,” he giggles, finally giving in and letting his eyes fall shut. “But don’t tell Law I said that.”

He can feel some shuffling besides him and a stifled laugh. What a beautiful sound. “Okay, I won’t tell him.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Mmm good…”

The rustling sound of the leaves in the wind and the chirping crickets slowly fade away into the distance. Or maybe it’s Luffy's conciousness that's slipping away. He smiles softly, feeling warm and content and then everything turns black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo... we had the first little glimpse into Law's head and it doesn't look too good for Luffy D:
> 
> So yeah I intended to write the whole chapter from Law's POV but apparently I hate myself and wanted to write a drunk Luffy. And the result is this clusterfuck of a chapter lol  
> But it was still fun to write.
> 
> Ps: for those of you who don't know: Mikita is Miss Valentine (I sure as hell had to look up her real name)
> 
> Let me know what you think :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me: *checking when I last updated this fic, thinking it was maybe last week or something* and I oop-
> 
> Sorry for the long wait, I hope you enjoy the new chapter! :)
> 
> -
> 
> Completely unrelated to this fic but I wanted to ask if any of you are maybe active on tumblr? I kinda want to make an account but I'm really terrible with anything social media 'cause I'm very awkward and shy lol  
> But I just really want to talk about one piece with you guys! So, is the op fandom active there?

_Ugh. That was the last time I drank alcohol…_

It’s such a cliché thing to say but Luffy can’t help the thought when he opens his eyes to the harsh sunlight shining directly in his face. His head feels like it’s going to explode soon and the world around him is spinning. He squeezes his eyes shut again, burying his face back into his fluffy pillow.

The bright sunlight makes his headache only worse and he considers drawing the curtains. However, this would require for him to get out of bed which then would require for him to keep his balance steady. He doesn’t even have to try it to dismiss the idea immediately. In fact he thinks that he’s probably going to lie in his bed for the rest of his miserable life…

Wait a minute.

In his bed? Yes, that’s right, he’s undeniably in his bedroom. But how?

The throbbing pain behind his eyes gets worse the more he tries to remember how he got here, but the memories from the previous night are nothing more than a distortet mess, with blurry pictures and only vague recalls of conversations. He tries to dig through his brain for any helpful information but all he gets are little snippets that don't make a lick of sense to him.

They were drinking and having fun and then they drank some more. Oh, and then Law showed up and they played ‘never have I ever’ and then they drank even more. This girl showed up, trying to get into Law’s pants. Ugh, he feels like throwing up at the thought, which surprisingly has nothing to do with the alcohol still in his blood…

Anyway, he got jealous and to cope with that he drank even more. (Jesus, how he didn’t end up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning honestly baffles him.) And yeah, that’s pretty much it. What came after that, he can’t remember no matter how hard he tries. 

But he got home safe, apparently. He would have thought his friends would just let him sleep it off at Sanji’s place, because no matter how much Nami and Zoro could hold their liquor, even they were in no condition to bring him home.

A faint memory hits him out of nowhere. No, it’s not exactly a memory; more of a feeling. The feeling of being held in strong arms, warm and safe and wrapped in a nice smelling jacket to shield him from the cool night air and...

~

_His body is floating in the air. He feels warm and safe and then suddenly he shifts and his face is nuzzled into a soft fabric. Everything is moving as he shifts in and out of concsciousness. A warm hand is stroking his back, the touch burning his skin through the thin fabric of his shirt. Someone is calling out his name repeatedly until he can stay awake long enough to let out a muffled groan._

_Luffy, do you feel like throwing up?_

_Nu-uh. Stay with me? Please?_

_…I really shouldn’t._

_He feels fingers brush through his messy black hair and then he is dead to the world again._

_~_

Holy shit! Where did this just come from?

Luffy’s head is spinning more than before and his stomach drops. This… his mind must have made this up. Clearly Law wasn’t sitting on his bed, stroking his back in a soothing manner. And fucking clearly Luffy wouldn’t have asked him to stay with him! His thoughts are racing a mile per second and he feels bile rise in his throat. Fuck.

Fuck!

Did Law really bring him home? 

There’s only one way to find out what happened: he has to call his friends.

Hastily he searches for his phone only to find it a few seconds later, charging on his nightstand. Glancing at the floor he sees a bucket standing there. At least it’s empty. There’s a glass of water too, placed neatly beside his phone with a pill next to it and a scribbled note. Cautiously he grabs the piece of paper. It takes a huge effort for him to focus his vision to being able to read the message. But he manages eventually.

_Sorry for going through your stuff,_ _but I_

_thought you’ll appreciate something to help_

_you with your hangover._

_-Law_

Luffy stares blankly at the letters in front of him. So Law really did bring him home. That’s just great. He'll never get over how embarassing that is...

He grabs his phone and after some time he finally manages to bring it back to life, only to be flooded with various messages from his friends.

Sighing heavily he opens the chat with Nami first, for she is the one most likely to kill him if he doesn’t answer soon. He groans as he reads through the messages.

_Hey, Lu. Law just texted me that you’re home, safe and sound. Please text me when you read this._

_I hope you are okay…_

_Luffy, are you okay?!?!_

_Hellooo???_

_Call me you bastard!_

_If you're still alive I'm going to kill you! Kill you dead!_

_Lu, please I’m really worried! I’m going to call the police if you don’t answer me soon…_

_Okay, forget the police. I’m going to fucking chop Law’s dick off!_

Oh no, Luffy wouldn’t put it past her that she actually called the police. He checks the time: it’s already past noon and her last message was half an hour ago. So without thinking further about it he immediately calls her. It rings only for a second before she answers the call and starts screaming at him.

“Oh god, do you even know how worried we were? Are you alright? You are home, right? Did something happen?”

“Nami can you calm down for fucks sake? I’m home and I’m fine apart from the worst hangover I’ve ever had. So if you could stop screaming at me, that would be highly appreciated.”

“Alright, alright I’m sorry. But I was really worried, Lu.”

Luffy sighs. Really, why do his friends always have to exaggerate everything? “I know, you always worry too much. I was sleeping until now. Did you really think I would be up at ass o’clock in the morning? Unlike you I actually get hangovers you know.”

Seriously, Nami can drink a shit load of alcohol and still wake up at 7 o’clock, dance around the house while singing happily and clean the mess they had left behind as if nothing ever happened. That, however, doesn’t mean she can expect the same from Luffy.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she admits, “but still, you were so out of it yesterday… It’s my fault, really. I shouldn’t have let you drink that much in the first place. But I’m glad Law was there to bring you home safely.”

“Um yeah about that… I don’t really remember much of what happened yesterday,” Luffy admits meekly, already bracing himself for another one of her fits. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“What do you mean, you don’t remember?!”

And that’s it for his eardrums. If she would have shrieked any higher, Luffy is sure the human ear wouldn’t even be able to pick up her voice anymore. Something about frequencies that only dogs can hear or something like that.

“Last thing I remember is that we were in the kitchen and then it gets kinda blurry after that…”

“Oh god,” he hears her muffle and Luffy just knows that she has her face buried in her hands. “You’re not allowed to drink ever again.”

Yeah, he definitely agrees with that.

So, apparently he wanted to jump into the pool, which would have been a really bad idea because he can’t even swim when he’s sober. But luckily Law had stopped him, Nami tells him. And that’s… Law saw him in such a state, doing stupid shit and Luffy just wants do die from embarrassment. As if that isn’t enough already Nami goes on about how he talked nonsense the entire time and even threw a fit because he wanted to go home instead of crashing at Sanji’s place. That is until Law offered to take him home. But Luffy doesn’t remember driving home with Law no matter how much he begs his brain to recall it. He can’t help but feel anxious about it; if he was behaving like that, it’s more than likely that he embarrassed himself even further in front of Law.

_I can never look him in the eyes again,_ Luffy thinks bitterly. He prays that he didn’t let anything slip about his feelings for Law…

“By the way, I’m still at Sanji’s. Zoro is here too but the rest went home already so make sure to text them, okay?” She tells him, calmer now and the pity in her voice makes Luffy’s stomach churn. “And you know, you’re 19 so you really should know your limit at this point when it comes to drinking. I mean, I know I should have intervened way sooner but I can’t always-“

He zones out at some point at her monologue - it’s the same as always anyway - until he feels his phone buzz in his hands. Not even bothering to put her on speaker, he glances at the message. It’s from Zoro.

_Ignore the witch. Let’s go for a run later, it’ll help with the hangover. I’ll come get you in an hour._

Bless Zoro, he always knows what he needs. Even though his body protests at the prospect of physical activity of any kind, he knows that Zoro is right and it will help him.

After he ends the call he goes through his messages to reply to his friends, telling them that he is in fact fine and apologizing for his behavior and that he had worried them.

It takes a while to answer all his messages because almost everyone asks him about his wellbeing; even people he didn’t interact with at the party – or doesn’t remember interacting with – are flooding his phone with texts.

Almost everyone… There’s only one name that fails to pop up in his unread messages.

It leaves him with a bad feeling in his gut.

-

“Nami is overreacting as always,” Zoro tells him, not even a little bit out of breath while Luffy is already panting heavily. He normally doesn’t have problems to keep up with his best friend but to his defense: he feels more like throwing up rather than running today and his head still feels dizzy. You have to give him credit for even leaving the comfort of his bed, okay?

“Law seems like a good guy. I knew he would bring you home safe and look after you.”

Luffy groans. “What if I said something really stupid, Zoro? Hell, I could have confessed my feelings to him, for all I know…”

“You really don’t remember?”

He shakes his head no and Zoro sighs. “Well… I can’t deny that it’s a possibility. Haven’t seen you that drunk in a while you know. You were really out of it.” Gee thanks Zoro, that’s not reassuring in the slightest. “Have you heard anything from him?”

No, he hasn’t heard anything. And that’s exactly the thing, isn’t it? Law probably hates him now. Either because Luffy let something about his feelings for the man slip and he is weirded out now or he just doesn’t want anything to do with a drunk and childish teenager. That would make sense too, after all Law is very mature and a father for fucks sake; obviously Luffy’s behavior would scare him off. Either way, Luffy fucked up bad and he tells Zoro as much.

“You’re over thinking this way too much, Lu.” He says and then pauses, chuckling to himself. “Never thought I would say this to you.” Ha Ha very funny. Luffy is really not in the mood for bad jokes now.

“I don’t think he hates you. I think he was more worried about you than anything else. You should just call him.” Yeah, no. He’d rather change his name and move to a different state, or even better a different country, than call Law.

“God you’re so overdramatic,” Zoro snorts and oops did he say that out loud? “I honestly don’t see the problem. Just call him and ask if you said something stupid. You can blame it on the alcohol if that’s the case. Or maybe you’re lucky and he admits his undying love for you and then you can both live happily ever after.”

Luffy huffs out a breath and motions for Zoro to stop running. He really needs a break or else he's going to collapse, his lungs feel like they are going to burst at any second. Luffy takes a huge swig from his water bottle and pours the rest over his hair to cool his head down. “Man I think I have to apologize to Nami.”

“How comes?”

“I’m pretty sure I was as helpful as you are right now when she tried to get together with Vivi. Which is like not helpful at all.”

His best friend chuckles. “Man, I don’t know what I should tell you, I’m not good at these things.” He puts a hand on Luffy’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. “But I really think you’re exaggerating. It wasn’t so bad. You’re pretty funny when you are drunk. Just talk to him, it’s not like you to struggle so much with these things. You normally just say whatever is going on in that silly brain of yours, no matter who you're talking to.”

Zoro’s right. But with Law it’s just different… Luffy is seriously scared to fuck it up. It’s not like he _wants_ to act like this but he cares about Law. Like seriously cares about him. But for the first time in his life he feels like it isn’t enough to just be himself; that his childish personality will decrease the already pretty low chance he has with Law. And it’s messing with his head.

God, he was always under the impression that love is something easy; that if it’s meant to be it will just go naturally. But the truth is, being in love is fucking exhausting.

-

He and Zoro parted ways ten minutes ago, both of them heading home after running for almost two hours. Luffy has to admit that he already feels way better than when he woke up. He’s still tired, sure, but at least his headache is gone.

Deciding that he wants to be out in the fresh air for a little longer instead of being stuck in his stuffy apartment, he takes a little detour instead of heading home straight away. The sun is shining nice and warm but there is a light breeze brushing through his hair. It’s the perfect weather for him to clear his head a bit. And god knows he needs it, because his head is already spinning from all the thinking.

Taking his phone out he glances at the screen. Disappointment rushing trough him as he sees that there are no new messages. Like there weren’t a minute earlier or the minute before that. He should just listen to Zoro and call him but he isn’t ready to hear what Law has to say. If his stupid brain just could remember if he let something slip… but sadly no such luck. Still frowning at his phone he hears children squealing and shouting in joy. It puts a smile on his face but he doesn’t think much of it, he knows that there is playground on this way home. That is until:

“LUFFY!”

Luffy’s head snaps towards the voice with so much force, his neck almost snaps and sure as hell there is little Lami running towards him. She jumps into his arms and smiles brighter than the sun ever could. “Luffy! What are you doing here? I’m so happy to see you.” She blabbers happily as Luffy searches around for a familiar tall figure, panic rising inside him.

“Hi princess, I’m happy to see you too. Are you… um are you here with your dad?”

She shakes her head at him and points to the benches where the parents are chatting with each other most of the time. “I’m here with mommy.” Oh hell no, that’s even worse. “Ew Luffy you’re all sweaty.” The little girl makes a face at him and attempts to struggle free from his arms. Luffy can’t help but laugh at her as he puts her back on the ground, his heart melting at the sweet expression on her face. “That’s because I was out for a run just now,” he says, patting her hair.

She looks up at him with her big, round eyes and the cutest little smile on her lips. “Oh cool! I’m glad you did because now I got to see you again.” She fidgets with her hands, facing the ground as she mutters a bit shyly. “I already missed you sooo much…”

God, how is she such an adorable little angel?

“Luffy can we play for a bit? Can we, please?”

To be honest; Luffy is tired, sweaty and just wants to go home, take a shower and then sleep for about 24 hours or so but… how could he say no when Lami is pouting at him like this? Impossible. “I would love to but I don’t know if your mom would be okay with that.”

She grins up at him, her hazel eyes shining with excitement. “Let’s ask her, okay?” Lami grabs his hand and starts dragging him after her towards her mother. Luffy doesn’t really want to talk to Monet but oh well… it’s not like he stands a chance against the little whirlwind. “I’m going to introduce you to her. Come on!”

Monet is already staring him down as they come closer but she still cracks a smile at her daughter’s happy laughter. It looks fucking weird on her. “Mommy, mommy! This is Luffy. Daddy’s friend, remember? I told you about him.”

“I know, Lami. I’ve already met him once at your dad’s studio.”

Lami looks at Luffy with wide eyes. “Oh. You didn’t tell me…,” she pouts at her mother but a second later she’s already beaming again. “Mommy, can I play with Luffy for a bit? Pleeeease?” Monet eyes Luffy up and down with a strange look on her face. It seems to him as if she wants to say something but doesn’t because of her daughter. Luffy doesn’t like that look one bit.

“Alright. But not too long, we have to leave soon.” She finally gives in and that’s all it takes for the little girl to drag Luffy towards the playground again. “Thank you, mommy! You’re the best!”

They make their way towards the swings where she urges Luffy on to push her. She giggles happily as she swings higher and higher and Luffy finds that he wouldn’t mind it to be here with Lami all day long. Still, he is more than aware of Monet, watching them like a hawk. He’d rather have Law here instead of her; that would be perfect.

They could play with her for hours, just the three of them together laughing and having fun and then afterwards they would go and grab some ice cream and take a long walk on the beach until the sun sets. Hand in hand with Law and with Lami running in front of them through the sand with her happy laughter filling the air…

It takes him a while to snap out of his day dream and notice that Lami is actually talking to him. “-and then later daddy will come pick me up and we go and eat dinner with my grandpa. I always love going to grandpa, he’s so silly! You should come and eat with us too. I’m sure that would make daddy very happy.”

Oh, if she only knew how happy that would make Luffy. But he doubts that Law would want him there… He agrees with her anyway.

Luffy sits down on the swing next to hers and listens to her as she tells him how she had spent her Saturday. 

“-And I even got cake for dessert! Mommy normally doesn't let me eat sweets often. She says it's bad for my teeth. But how can something so delicious be bad for me?"

Luffy snorts. "And what about your dad? Does he let you eat sweets more often."

She humms in thought for a while and then says: "Not really. But I think it's more because mommy would get angry and then they would fight again. I don't like it when they are fighting. They don't do it in front of me but it's not like I don't notice it."

Luffy doesn't know what he should say to that. Growing up with only his father and then later with his gramps he doesn't know what it's like when your parents don't get along well, but he figures that it must be pretty hard especially at this young age.

As always though, Lami doesn't fail to surprise him.

"The kids from my school never get it when I say this but I'm happy that mommy and daddy are not together anymore. They are not good for each other." She pauses and Luffy can't help but to feel puzzled. 

Suddenly she starts giggling as she looks up to Luffy with sparkling eyes.

"Luffy you like daddy, right?”

He chokes on his spit at her innocent question. “Wha-? Yes, of course I like him. Your daddy is really cool!” he sputters, his cheeks flushed a deep red. For an eight year old girl she sure knows how to catch him off guard…

“No, I mean you like-like him,” she continues happily, blissfully unaware of the pure horror on his face, “like with kissing and all that stuff adults do.”

Jesus Christ, she did _not_ just say that! God, someone help him, what is he supposed to say to that?

“What? No, no, that’s…” he waves his hands in front of his face in defense. Lami fixes him with an earnest look that looks so awfully out of place on her cute, round face.

“It’s okay, I know that sometimes a boy likes a boy or a girl can like a girl.” As if _that’s_ the issue here! “And daddy likes both you know. I think you two should just kiss already.”

Luffy’s head is spinning like crazy, he’s at a total loss of words. But Lami just keeps smiling at him without a care in the world. He wants to say something, _anything,_ but no word leaves his lips as she keeps staring at him expectantly.

“Lami!" Monet's harsh voice draws their attention to her. "We’re leaving in five minutes.” The little girl pouts but she doesn't try to argue with her mother.

Monet gets up from the bench and fixes Luffy with a glare. “Luffy I would like to have a word with you for a second.” His blood freezes in his veins. Why does Monet want to talk with him? Lami tugs at his shorts and Luffy's heart clenches at seeing the sad expression on her face. He crouches down next to her and hugs her close.

“I hope we get to spend more time together soon. Bye Luffy!”

He kisses her hair and waves her goodbye as he makes his way over to the green haired woman. The feeling of dread rushes through his body and the bad feeling in his gut that he has since he woke up only worsens at her cold stare. If only he hadn't left his bed today...

“I’m going to be straight forward here," she begins, her eyes fixated on her daughter saying goodbye to the other children. "I don’t want you to spend time with my daughter.”

Sorry, what was that?

“What? But-“

“I know that she likes you very much and that’s exactly the problem,” she says, her voice cold as ice. “She’s way too attached to you as it is right now. What do you think; who would suffer the most after Law fucks you over? I want to avoid that.”

“I…,” Luffy’s heart beats rapidly and he feels like he’s suffocating. Her words feel like daggers piercing straight through his heart. “It’s not… it’s not like that.”

She raises a single eyebrow at him and huffs. “No? He normally doesn’t take that long to drag pretty boys like you to bed. Are you playing hard to get or what?”

How dare she talk to Luffy like that? How dare she say these things! He wants to scream at her but his throat feels like it’s tied up. She looks at him with something like pity in her eyes and Luffy’s heart crumbles to pieces. “I don’t care what you two are doing. Just leave my daughter out of it. Have a nice day.”

Luffy stares at the two as they leave, Lami’s happy giggles ringing in his ear. He stands there frozen on the spot until they are out of sight and even then he can’t bring his body to move. Tears are welling up in his eyes and he…

He can’t fucking breathe.

-

After a quick shower Luffy went straight to bed, where he’s been hiding himself away for the last few hours, completely ignoring all attempts from his friends to reach him. He just doesn’t have the energy to deal with any of them. Hell, he doesn’t have the energy for anything right now, he feels so fucking drained.

Monet’s words won’t get out of his head. It just can’t be. Law isn’t like that…

Or maybe he is, how would Luffy know? He doesn’t know a damn thing about the man. Still he refuses to believe that he’s just planning on using Luffy for sex. Sure, he was flirting with the teen but he never tried anything. Monet is probably just jealous because it didn’t work out between them. Yes, that has to be it.

The words still hurt though.

And then there’s Lami, who is a little girl and still could see right through him. Luffy wonders if it really is so obvious that even a child could figure it out. That would mean that Law knows it too, right? God, everything is just so confusing.

On top of that he still hasn’t heard a word from Law and that fucking gut feeling just won’t leave him. He should just call him and get it over with. Maybe Law will tell him that he doesn’t want to see him again but at least Luffy will have clarity then. Not knowing what’s going on is seriously the worst.

It doesn’t help one bit that everyone around him seems to have their own strong opinions on what’s going on between them.

There’s Lami, who is way too smart for her age, and knows that he likes her dad. She told him that they should just kiss, which means that she would approve Luffy going out with her dad, right? But no matter how you look at it, she is still a child and has taken a liking to Luffy. In her logic Luffy makes her happy, so he would make her dad happy too. Sadly, it doesn’t work like that.

Then there are his friends. Every one of them has told him that Law likes him and that Luffy has a chance to get with him. The problem with that is that they are Luffy’s friends and therefore obviously want him to be happy. It’s not that Luffy thinks they are lying to him for his sake but of course they would support him. And he wants to believe that Nami and the rest of the crew could see a spark between them but did they really? Or did they just see the spark coming from Luffy?

Monet clearly thinks that they are some sort of fuck buddies or whatever, which is actually so far from the truth that Luffy still feels baffled. The thing is though, that she knows Law better than anyone else. She actually was in a relationship with him and has known him for years so she has to know what she’s talking about, right? And it’s not like Luffy could not see it either; Law is an attractive man, of course he would have flings here and there. But is that really all there is for him? Luffy doesn’t remember him talking about a relationship aside from Monet either. He doesn’t want to think about it though; if Law really is only interested in having sex with Luffy… the thought hurts way too much.

And Luffy himself… Luffy thinks that Law isn’t interested in him in either way, not romantically nor sexually. He probably thinks that they are friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

But no matter how hard he thinks about it, in the end Law is the only one who knows how it really is. If only Luffy would stop acting like a coward and just ask him…

But apparently he’s rather at home sulking in his uncomfortable bed with his blanket pulled over his head. Ignoring the world around him and feeling like shit, that’s how he chooses to spend the rest of this shitty Sunday. His friends even tried bribe him with a grill party at Zoro’s but he ignored that too. Not even meat can lure him out of his bed.

It seems like they can’t take a fucking hint though, as his phone is ringing _again. Fine,_ he thinks while grabbing his phone, _I’ll tell them to just leave me the fuck alone today!_

At least that’s what he wanted to do but to his shock the name on his screen is none of the crew. It’s Law.

Hesitating he decides to pick up and his heart clenches at hearing his voice.

“Hey Luffy, how are you feeling?”

“Like shit,” Luffy admits but it’s not for the reason that Law thinks it is.

He hears Law chuckle on the other end. Somehow, it doesn’t sound right. “Yeah, I can see why.”

Neither of them says anything for a while and Luffy tenses up more and more for every second that passes in silence. He clears his throat, “so um… thank you for taking me home and sorry for my behavior. You must think that I’m an idiot now… Uh I don’t really remember much to be honest.”

He hears Law exhale loudly. Almost as if he's… relieved? “No, not at all,” Law reassures him. “Don’t worry about it, it’s no problem. I’m just glad that you are okay.”

“Still, I’m really sorry.” Luffy takes a deep breath, gathering his courage to ask Law the question that won’t get out of his head: “Did I… um do something stupid?”

Law snorts out a laugh. “You could say that, yes. Apart from your wish to drown, which I’m sure you have already heard from your friends, you ran away from me and climbed a tree. Almost gave me a heart attack. Though I have to admit it was kinda impressing considering your condition.”

_Ugh._ Luffy buries his face in his hands in shame and groans. “God, I’m so sorry.” Just why did they let him drink so much?! Seriously though, he was hoping for some liquid courage and not liquid stupidity. Why does every interaction he’s ever had with Law end up to be so fucking embarrassing for him?

“It’s okay, at least you went out like a light after that. You’re heavier than you look by the way.”

God please have mercy with him already.

“And I had no idea which apartment is yours, so that was something too. You weren’t much of a help either and you just wouldn’t wake up. Ah and your elevator is out of order too, so that was a nice workout.”

_Please_ have _mercy!_

“Law I’m so sorry. Seriously I owe you big time…”

“No it’s okay, really. As I said, I’m just glad that you are okay.”

He’s way too nice. How could Luffy not have fallen for him? “Thank you… but um… I didn’t say something stupid, did I?”

“…No.” His voice sounds off and he realizes it himself. Clearing his throat, Law continues. “Well I mean drunken people always talk nonsense. But nothing too bad,” he jokes but Luffy doesn’t really believe him.

“Okay if you say so. Can I maybe invite you to a coffee tomorrow? As an apology for all the trouble I caused you.”

“That’s really not necessary Luffy. And I don’t think I have the time tomorrow anyway. Maybe another time, if you insist.”

“Oh okay…”

"Alright so... I just wanted to check on you. I have to go and pick up Lami now."

"Okay. Thanks again and let me know when you're up for that coffee."

"Sure. Alright, take care. Bye Luffy."

"Yeah, bye..."

Law doesn’t seem to be angry. And he called first, that means he isn’t ignoring him either. Everything seems to be fine. So why is it that Luffy can’t shake off the feeling that something just isn’t quite right?

**__________________**

“You’re doing it again.”

Law looks up from his plate, where he is currently picking at his food. He huffs at his dad. “I’m doing what again?”

“Thinking too much.”

“I’m not.” He really is but like hell he’s giving in without arguing. With Cora there’s always the thirteen year old in him coming out again.

“You are. You always make this face when you’re over thinking something.”

Cora furros his brows and puts on the grumpiest expression that he can manage. Lami giggles at the rather bad impression of Law’s face and he shoots her a glance. Little traitor. “You’re going to be a wrinkly old man some day if you keep doing this.”

“A wrinkly old man!” Lami agrees gleefully.

Law rolls his eyes at both of them. “Young lady, stop backing him up all the time just because he always buys you a ton of sweets.”

Cora gives her a fist bump underneath the table. As if Law wouldn’t notice it. Seriously, before he gets wrinkles it’s more likely that he will have problems with his eyes because he’s rolling them so hard all the time around those little shits that are his family.

“No but seriously, what’s going on in that head of yours? Is something bothering you?”

“Not really,” Law waves him off, “I’m just tired. I’m going to do the dishes now.”

“Oh come on Law, you have too eat more, you’re way too thin!”

“I’m not thin.”

“Yeah, yeah you’re built like a model. I’m your dad, you’re always gonna be too thin for me.”

Again, he rolls his eyes while he takes their plates and makes his way to the kitchen. After rinsing the tableware and loading the dishwasher, he dries his hands and takes his phone out of his pocket. Making sure that Cora didn’t follow him into the kitchen he opens the message that he got this morning.

He bites his lips as he reads it for the umpteenth time. Normally he wouldn't think twice about it but now... 

**Message from Bonney**

_Hey handsome <3 kinda miss your hot body and could use a good fuck, you down?_

He finally texts back.

_Sure. How about tomorrow?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know what, let's actually do a summary for this chapter.  
> It goes like this: Law is an idiot, go figure.
> 
> And now please enjoy! :)
> 
> -
> 
> On an unrelated note: thank you for answering my question about tumblr. I actually made one, yay! You can find me @ghost-kitty :)

Trafalgar Law is a control freak.

Everyone that knows him for as much as about five minutes knows that. Living in the moment and taking everything as it is? That concept is as strange to him as that most of the earth’s population likes bread. Or that there are people who don’t like coffee. It’s just… baffling to him that people are living like this.

In his world everything is planned out to the tee. He’s always five steps ahead, with plan B and C already fully fledged out just in case something doesn’t go as he intends it to.

And it’s like this with everything. What he eats throughout the day, which clothes he wears and the words leaving his mouth; nothing is ever a coincidence when it comes to him. He likes structure and for things to go his way, that’s just how it is. He just likes to be in total control of a situation.

Now of course you can’t plan out your whole life and there always will be times when he is caught off guard. Like when Monet showed him the positive pregnancy test back when they both were way too young to be parents. But he can adjust. He can handle. Because even his backup plan has a backup plan. That’s just how he works. For him there isn’t such a thing as ‘thinking about nothing’, his brain is reeling nonstop. He is always in control.

Expect when he isn’t.

And when the control slips from his hands and there is nothing he can do about it, then he can’t cope _at all._

If there’s one thing about Trafalgar Law that you have to know, it’s that he can read people like open letters. He knows what they are going to say and he knows how they will react. And he is always, _always_ prepared for it. So far it worked out pretty well for him.

That is until he met one Monkey D Luffy.

The boy crashed into his life like a hurricane and messed up everything Law believed in. With his personality; all smiles and energy and _sunshine._

Luffy is like no one else he has ever known. He feels like the control slips from his finger a little bit more every time they see each other. And it causes him great distress. Because there is nothing that unsettles him more than when something messes with his head. And Luffy does that.

It all started out so easy. All fun and games and he greatly enjoyed teasing the teen. He feels in control when Luffy gets all shy and embarrassed and it’s like he holds so much power over him with something as simple as a smirk. Now though, he can’t help but feel it’s the other way around. Who exactly holds power over whom?

Especially since Saturday night. It hit him out of nowhere, like a punch to the gut and suddenly he isn’t in control of his own thoughts anymore. His brain is in constant overdrive and it’s honestly a miracle that there isn’t smoke coming out of his ears by now.

Ever since meeting Luffy he is hit by one revelation after the other. So, let’s take a look at it, shall we?

  1. **Young and free**



Law rarely feels out of place - not because he fits in everywhere, that would hardly be the truth, he normally just doesn't care about sticking out all that much - but when he takes a look around he can’t help but feel flabbergasted at the sight of all these crazy college students. No matter where his eyes land, there’s always a group of people with apparently only one goal in mind: to drink themselves into a coma. Maybe it’s because he never had the opportunity to participate in parties like this one. Not that he is mourning his lost teenage years or something, after all Lami is the best thing that ever happened to him and he wouldn’t want it any other way. He isn’t even a party animal to begin with. It’s way too loud and too crowded for his liking. He prefers reading a good book all by himself over a party anytime.

On the other hand his friends are fitting right into all this. It’s no surprise, after all Shachi and Penguin love being loud and Ikkaku never says no to having a good time. He’s glad that they came with him, they make him feel more at ease with their mere presence. But don’t get him wrong, it’s not like he isn’t enjoying himself. He’s not _that_ old yet. And contrary to popular belief; he can be fun too, thank you very much.

Luffy’s friends are great. They welcomed them with open arms and are nothing but kind. Yes, they are crazy – it didn’t take him long to figure that out – but they all have big hearts with enough space left to invite other people into their circle of friends. Law gets along well with all of them and he is glad because he can see that it makes Luffy happy.

Luffy… he’s the reason that he’s here in the first place. He doesn’t know what exactly had possessed him to agree to it but then again; he just can’t say no to his big brown eyes and pouty lips. That’s okay though, he is used to it. Nothing he can’t handle.

The teen was already pretty loaded when Law arrived. Normally drunk people disgust him but with Luffy he finds it rather cute. He’s all shy and stuttery and just too adorable with his flushed cheeks and happy giggles. Law finds it harder to resist him by the second.

Oh lord especially after he found out that he hasn’t even had his first kiss yet. Well, Law had already figured that he doesn’t have much experience but that… He would just _love_ to show him how it’s done and steal his first kiss from him.

But he won’t.

No matter how enticing Luffy is, it just wouldn’t end well. Takes him a lot of self-restraint though, not gonna lie.

So, yes Luffy is fun and cute when he’s drunk. But mostly he is just _exhausting._

And when he runs from him and climbs that _goddamn tree,_ that’s when it hits him: Luffy is in fact a teenager.

It’s not like he didn’t know how old Luffy is, he knew from the beginning. But seeing him jump around and laugh without a care in the world, that’s when it sinks in how young he really is. He is not a child of course and he has his responsibilities too but for the most part he just lives his life however he wants to. Having fun and just doing what he wants to do without ever thinking about consequences, that’s his way of living.

He is free.

Law doesn’t know yet why exactly that this bugs him so much. That’s a realization for later.

  1. **A confession?**



Law fucked up. He fucked up bad.

Of course _‘I like you’_ could mean pretty much anything. But it didn’t feel like it was meant in ‘you are my friend, I like you’ kinda way. No matter how exactly he had meant those innocent little words though, Law has to pull the emergency brake. And he has to pull it yesterday.

That means no more flirting. Because no matter how much Law enjoys teasing Luffy, it’s all fun and games until it isn’t anymore.

It’s true that Law is kinda known for being a heart breaker. But honestly it’s not really his fault. He doesn’t pretend when it comes to his sex life. He doesn’t go around and gets peoples hopes up, quite the contrary in fact, he is always straight forward about his no strings attached way of living. That however, hasn’t stopped his bed partners from falling in love with him on more than one occasion.

He doesn’t even really get it. Sure he knows that he is charming and good looking and he sure as hell knows what he’s doing in bed. But other than that he thinks he is rather… bland. Not many people agree with what he considers as having a good time. Law likes to be alone and have his peace and quiet. On top of that he is a serious person (some would call it grumpy) and he likes things to be a certain way. He’s not exactly open to trying new stuff that is outside his comfort zone either. So yeah, honestly he is rather boring. Why some people want to be with him, he really doesn’t know. But it happens. God, it happens more often than he would like it to.

And then he has to have ‘the talk’ with them which is just… _ugh._ At this point it’s like he already has a script for it ready. The whole ‘look I like you but I just don’t do relationship’ shtick. He doesn’t like it when he has to crush their hopes, but he doesn’t really care much either. There just never is a deeper connection towards his flings to care too much.

But he really doesn’t want that to happen with Luffy. And if his instinct is right and Luffy really is falling for him then he has to do something about it rather sooner than later. Because he wants Luffy to be a part of his life. If they can’t be friends anymore… Law doesn’t even want to think about it. He has no clue how that boy managed to worm himself into Law’s heart so fast but it definitely happened. Lami probably plays a huge part in this; she would be heartbroken if Luffy disappeared from their lives. He can’t let that happen.

It’s really his fault this time. He teased and flirted with Luffy without ever thinking about what it could do to the teen. He should have known better because Luffy is young and clueless with no experience whatsoever. _Of course_ Law’s mindless flirting would affect him. And normally Law would have had that in mind from the beginning but with Luffy… he just couldn’t control himself.

And the moment he realizes it, it hits him like a train with full speed.

Luckily some higher being had mercy with him and Luffy doesn’t even remember his little confession, if it even was one in the first place. That means it isn’t to late yet, right? All he has to do is to stop flirting with the boy and then, if there are any feelings from Luffy’s side, they would just disappear over time. Right…?

Somehow he doesn’t feel relieved at all.

  1. **Wandering thoughts**



Sex plays a big part in Law’s life. He’s not an addict or something but he enjoys having sex very much and rather won’t go for too long without it. Luckily he has no problems whatsoever to find someone to hook up with. His appearance helps of course and his tattoos are a plus too. They actually helped him getting laid pretty often. Therefore finding someone for a one night stand is not too much trouble for Law. And then of course there is Bonney too.

They have known each other for years and sleep with each other regularly. Law isn’t really a fan of the whole friends with benefits thing, still too much responsibilities, but with Bonney it’s easy. There is no chance that either of them will catch feelings for the other and Bonney doesn’t try go get into his personal life. For all the years they have known each other she has never met Lami and never will. She asks about his daughter from time to time but that’s it and for Law it’s perfect like this. They get along well and go out for a drink once in a while but in the end they always end up in bed together. They both know exactly what they want from each other and that there never will be anything else between them.

So when she texts him and asks if he’s up for sex of course his answer is yes.

It doesn’t have anything to do with Luffy’s smile that has etched itself into Law’s brain. Or how right it had felt to carry Luffy in his arms and see the content smile on his lips as he unconsciously snuggled closer. How confused it had left him when his heart fluttered like crazy to feel him so close, to feel his warmth. But it’s not like he’s meeting up with Bonney because he tries to get these confusing thoughts out of his head. No, that’s not the reason. Certainly not.

-

Bonney sighs happily next to him as she stretches her arms. “Want to go for another round?”

Law considers it for a second but then shakes his head at her. “No, I should get going. I have to pick up Lami from school in about…,” he checks the time on his phone, “two hours.”

Bonney snorts. “Wow, two hours… you’re right that’s way too soon. It’s not like you can make me cum multiple times in less than one.”

He rolls his eyes at her as he puts his clothes back on. It’s not like he’s in a hurry he’s just… not really in the mood. That happens rarely but oh well, it is how it is.

“Look no offense, and it’s not like I’m not satisfied or anything, but you seem pretty off today. It was like you weren’t really with me but rather far away with your thoughts. Is there something on your mind?”

Law pauses in the middle of buttoning up his shirt and if Bonney had paid close attention she would have seen a flicker of panic in his eyes. But he catches himself quickly and puts on a blank expression, waving her off. “No it’s nothing. Just not really in the mood today, sorry.”

She quirks an eyebrow at him but doesn’t press any further. “Fine. Not like I’m your therapist anyway. Man I always get so hungry after a good fuck.”

“Bonney,” Law deadpans at her, “you’re always hungry. Anyway I’ll get going now. Don’t bother I’ll find out myself.”

He grabs his belongings and waves at her. “Yeah sure don’t even cuddle with me after fucking, you asshole,” she shouts after him, giggling.

“Fuck with someone who cares if you want to cuddle,” he shouts right back and hears her gasp, mocking to be offended.

“I still believe that there is someone out there who is able to melt that stone cold heart of yours.”

Her words make his stomach churn and he practically dashes out of her apartment with large steps, rushing to his car.

He sits there in his car with a blank face for who knows how long. Slamming his forehead against the steering wheel he curses himself loudly. His brain is reeling and he feels sick to his stomach. What the fuck? Just what the actual fuck?!

Apparently sex is now ruined for him.

Because no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t get those warm eyes and that fucking sunshine smile out of his head. And isn’t that just the shittiest thing to do while sleeping with someone; thinking about another person? And like hell he will ever admit it to Bonney. He won’t even admit it to himself.

Just when exactly did things start to get out of control so much?

  1. **Smile**



While he’s waiting for Lami he gets nasty glares from the other parents as per usual. It doesn’t bother him and he’s used to it anyway. He knows that he’s sticking out like a sore thumb with his tattoos and ‘don’t talk to me’ look. They can give him dirty looks all they want; Law was never someone to care about what others think of him. If they think he isn’t a good father because he’s young and because of his appearance; well then they can go fuck themselves. They know nothing about him and for Law that’s fine. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with those judgmental idiots anyway.

When he spots Lami come running towards him it’s like the black raincloud over his head vanishes at once and instead there is a huge grin on his face instead of the gloomy expression from before. He laughs heartily when his little princess jumps into his arms and his heart melts at her cute little giggles. He swings her around and then places raspberry kisses all over her face.

“Daddy… Daddy, stop!” she manages to get out between wheezes, “daddy that’s so embarrassing!”

“Is it?” He smiles at her and plants one last kiss on her forehead. “Well I’m your dad; it’s my job to embarrass you.”

Putting her down again she grabs his hand instantly as they make their way towards his car. “So did you have a good day, pumpkin?”

She nods enthusiastically and starts blabbering about all the things she has learned today. There is a new girl in her class apparently and Lami wants to befriend her, she tells him. Because she doesn’t want her to feel left out and because ‘everyone needs a good friend, daddy’. Law’s heart almost explodes at how proud he is of his little girl as he listens to her. How could he ever regret becoming a father at this young age when he has such an amazing daughter?

“Daddy do you know if Luffy is working today?” she asks out of nowhere.

He tenses up against his will when he hears Luffy’s name. Something must be wrong with him. Why does his stomach feel so funny all of a sudden at the mere mention of his name? He doesn’t know why he is reacting this way and it bugs him so fucking much!

“No princess, I don’t know. Why?”

“Can we go see if he’s there? I want to see him! Daddy pleeease!”

Law’s heart starts to beat faster at the thought of seeing Luffy and his palms get all sweaty. It makes him nervous and he just doesn’t know _why._ He never gets nervous, that’s just so unlike him and once again he feels like he’s losing control and he can’t fucking handle it!

He hasn’t seen Luffy since Saturday and only had a short talk on the phone with him since then. It’s not like he doesn’t want to see him. He actually really, really wants to see him. But on the other hand he doesn’t want to see him at all. It’s all so confusing and he hates it.

It probably would be better to wait for a bit until he sees Luffy again. Just until he has sorted out his thoughts and can make some sense out of them.

Though, it only takes one glance at Lami’s pouty face that he knows it’s a lost cause.

-

The familiar ring of the bell chimes as they step into ‘the pinwheel’ and the smell of coffee and delicious pastries hits Law right in the face. He glances at the counter and meets Luffy’s gaze, as he had looked up at the sound of the bell. Law’s heart starts to flutter as he looks into these beautiful brown eyes.

Lami tugs hard at his hand, snapping him out of his daze and he lets himself get dragged after her. When they approach the teen Law can see several emotions on Luffy’s face until he settles for a bright smile. _Cute,_ he thinks and wants to slap himself as soon as he catches the thought.

“Luffy!!! I’m so happy that you are here!”

Lami jumps up and down in excitement and Luffy’s smile gets even wider. He smiles fondly at the little girl as he greets her. “Hi princess, I’m happy that you’re here too.” He looks up at Law then and his cheeks turn a nice shade of red immediately.

_Fuck!_

“Have you forced your dad to come here, Lami?”

Law finally manages to relax a little and he can’t help but to chuckle softly. “You could say that, yes. But I won’t complain, since I can get myself a good coffee and I-“ _And I got to see you again,_ is what he wants to say but he can stop himself at the last second. Seriously what the fuck is wrong with him? Why is this so hard? He puts up a fake smile. “Yeah um… you now that I can never turn down a good coffee.”

Luffy mutters a soft ‘oh’ and smiles at Law. It doesn’t reach his eyes and it looks so _wrong_ that Law feels his stomach drop.

“Daddy can I have a muffin?” Lami suddenly tugs at his pants to get his attention. He shakes his head and she starts pouting. He won’t give in this time though.

“No Lami. Your grandpa already spoiled you way too much when we were over for dinner. You can have a juice if you want.” She grumbles, clearly unhappy but oh well, he has to be strict too sometimes. She reluctantly agrees on an orange juice and Law orders his usual black coffee for himself. “So Luffy, how are you?” he asks while looking around the coffee shop. There are only a few people around: a group of teenage girls and two elderly couples. It’s unusually quiet. “Not really a busy day, huh?”

Luffy avoids looking him in the eyes as he answers. “Not really. Morning was kinda hectic but it has died down since lunchtime. Here’s your coffee.”

Law thankfully takes the hot beverage and their hands touch for a brief second. Electric sparks jolt through his body at the touch and he pulls his hand back way harsher than he intended to. Luffy’s face falls for a second and Law wants to scream. What the hell is wrong with him?!

He takes out his wallet but Luffy refuses when he wants to pay. “No, no it’s alright. I told you I’d treat you with a coffee.”

God, why does this feel so strange? It had always been so easy talking to Luffy but now it feels like there is a huge distance between them and Law doesn’t know why or what he can do about it. He feels so lost and the sad look in Luffy’s eyes only makes it worse. He doesn’t know what’s going on in Luffy’s head anymore. And honestly he doesn’t even know what’s going on in his own head anymore.

“Okay well thank you very much. Lami what do you say?”

He looks at his daughters exceptionally as she is already happily sipping her juice. “Thank you very much Luffy!” Law pats her head affectionately and Luffy cracks a smile. This one seems more genuine. “Luffy when can we spend a day together again? Like we did at the festival? Can we do something like that again soon? Please?”

Luffy looks lost at the question and glances at Law for help. But he’s just as lost.

“Well that… that depends on your dad.”

Great now she looks at him with her big eyes. “Oh can we daddy? Please! Oh, I know! We could go to the beach! Daddy promised that we would go soon. Can Luffy come with us? Please say yes, daddy!”

In moments like this Law thinks that his little girl is on this planet solely for one reason: to torture him. He sighs. “We’ll see, okay pumpkin? And now we should head home, I’m sure you have some things to do for school, no?” When he looks back at Luffy he sees that he is fidgeting with his hands and he could swear to see tears in the corner of his eyes, threatening to spill over and down his cheeks. He could as well ram a knife directly through his heart.

“Alright… thanks for the coffee and we’ll hear from each other.”

“Luffy can I have a hug?” Lami asks shyly and Luffy rushes around the corner to scoop her up in his arms within a heartbeat. He buries his nose in her hair as he hugs her close and the sight does all sorts of thing to Law. When he puts her down again she doesn’t want to let go and Law sees how Luffy rubs at his eyes with the back of his hand.

Law takes her hand and waves at Luffy one more time as they leave the coffee shop. After he made sure that his daughter sits securely in her seat he glances back at the shop again. Through the glass door he can see that Nami stands next to Luffy now. She has both hands on his shoulders and shakes him lightly, words stumbling out of her mouth judging from the hasty movement of her lips.

He tries not to think about it.

When he wants to get in the car, he suddenly hears Luffy call out to him. Turning his head he sees him jog towards him. “Law wait! Can I maybe… talk to you for a second?”

A bit baffled he closes the car door again and nods. “Yeah sure. What’s up?”

Luffy nervously pulls on the hem of his shirt, his face bright red and Law feels the urge to hug him. “Um… I don’t know how I should say it. But you… I don’t know you seem kinda distant since Saturday and I… Law are you angry with me?”

God no, why would he think that? Shit, Law has to make this right.

He has no control over his body whatsoever as he reaches out to Luffy and brushes a strand of hair behind his ear. His black locks are soft, Law notices and his heart starts to hammer wildly inside his chest. Luffy’s eyes widen at the touch and it feels like time freezes around them. He lets his hand drop to his side after a while when he finally is able to control his body again. “No of course not,” he mutters softly, “why would I be angry with you?”

Luffy exhales shakily, his whole body visibly relaxes and he smiles at Law. That goddamn smile that takes Law’s breath away every time.

“Oh.” He exhales through his mouth in relieve. “That… that’s good. I thought because I acted like an idiot at the party that you are pissed now.” He looks down on the ground, his round cheeks red and probably warm and Law thinks about how it would feel to kiss the heated skin softly… “Or you know that I maybe said something stupid… and that you don’t like me anymore.”

 _I really like you._ Law’s heart skips a beat.

“Nah it’s fine.” It’s not fine. Everything is on fire. “It was actually kinda funny to chase after you. Haven’t felt so young in a while.” His lips curl up into a smile at the memory. “Don’t worry I still like you.”

Luffy finally looks up again. His eyes are wide and sparkling and his smile so blinding that Law feels the urge to look away.

That goddamn smile…

-

That night Law lies in bed wide awake, his thoughts are racing and once again won’t let him fall asleep. He tosses and turns and prays for his brain to just _stop._ It’s then that he realizes something.

Trafalgar Law is a weak man.

Why? Because something as simple as a smile holds so much power over him, turns his whole body to jelly and makes him all warm and jittery. Never in a million years would he have seen it coming that it just takes one little ball of sunshine to turn his whole world upside down.

Law is not in control anymore. And it scares him greatly.

**___________**

“Yeah and that’s pretty much it.”

Law had been rambling for the last hour or so and Cora had been patiently waiting for him to finish. Now that Law is done with his monologue there’s only silence hanging heavy in the air while Cora just blankly stares at him. For a second he regrets that he decided to talk to his dad but he has to admit that it helped. He’s not less confused about everything now but at least it feels like some of the weight on his shoulders has lifted a bit.

Cora sighs. He opens his mouth to say something only to close it again. He sighs again and Law waits in anticipation for him to finally voice out his thoughts, to tell him what the hell is wrong with him.

“Law,” he clears his throat. “My boy. My son. You know that I love you but I think you are a bit dense. Aren’t you supposed to be smart?”

Wow. Gee thanks Cora, that isn’t helpful at all.

“Dad! I’m serious here.”

“So am I.”

“Well I don’t need you to insult me. I need you to help me!”

“It’s just… I think that you’re not gonna like what I have to say, is all.”

Law buries his face in his hands and groans. “Just say it okay. Because I think I’m losing my mind.”

“Okay yes well… you’re telling me all this and like, not once has the thought crossed your mind that you’re maybe…?”

Law makes a face at him, trying to get him to finish his sentence because he has no clue what the man is getting at.

“Law really it’s kind of ridiculous that I have to say it out loud because it’s really obvious.”

He groans. No it’s not obvious! If it was then Law would have figured it out already. He is smart after all. “Can you get to the point already?!” He’s seriously losing his patience now. If his dad really has the answer to all his confusing thoughts then he should just spit it out already.

Cora folds his hands in front of him, his eyes never leaving Law. He sighs for what feels like the thousandth time as he realizes that Law is actually serious and really doesn’t know what’s going on. He shakes his head at his son, a small smile on his lips, and then he starts to speak: “Law have you perhaps considered that you are… in love with him?”

An uncomfortable silence spreads through the room and Law hears his blood rush in his ears. His thoughts are racing as the words sink in and then his mind goes blank.

…

Oh.

_Oh._

  1. **The conclusion**



Law is completely and utterly _fucked._


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I haven't forgotten about this fic, I swear! Just had terrible writers block... but now I'm back baby! I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait.
> 
> Enjoy!

„Here’s your iced caramel macchiato!“ Luffy says with a cheery voice and ignores the confused look on his friend’s face as he cautiously takes his drink. “I hope you’ll like it! I added some extra caramel because I know that you like ‘em sweet!” He shoots Usopp his brightest smile before handing him his change. “Isn’t it a beautiful day today?!”

Usopp’s eyes wander over to Nami who is busy with displaying the freshly baked cupcakes, silently asking her for help. Luffy isn’t fazed by it though. It really is a beautiful day, what’s the problem with shouting it out for the world to hear?

“Okay I’m slightly concerned now,” his long-nosed friend says and then turns his head towards the redhead. “Aren’t you concerned too?”

Nami only sighs while she swats Lufy’s grabby hands away from the baked goods. “Stop it Lu! You already had one... jesus!”

“But Nami,” the teen whines, “they are so delicious!”

“Hello? Could you stop ignoring me?” Usopp again tries to gain her attention. “Seriously, what’s up with him? His good mood is kinda creeping me out…"

Shoving a cupcake into Luffy’s hand, Nami sighs again. “Please Usopp, don’t get him started. I have to deal with this since yesterday.”

She acts as if she’s annoyed but she really isn’t; Luffy saw the tiny smile she was trying to hide, can’t fool him. And what’s there not to smile about? The weather is nice – sun shining on a cloudless blue sky with just the smallest breeze -, the birds are singing, people come into the coffee shop with smiles on their faces and… “Law said that he likes me.”

He practically sings the words and if they would be characters in a manga, Luffy is sure his eyes would have turned into the shape of hearts by now.

“He did WHAT?” Usopp screams, earning himself a nice smack on the head from Nami and a ‘stop shouting, there are still customers here!’. “Sorry, sorry,” he whispers now, “but he did what?! Why am I only hearing about this now?”

Luffy already drifted off into his lovey-dovey fantasies so Nami has mercy and starts to explain: “Yeah he was here the other day with his daughter. Anyway, our dear Luffy here almost had an emotional breakdown after he left so I forced him to go after him and talk it out. Which they did, as you can clearly see.” She points at Luffy who is smiling dumbly to himself. “And now he acts even more like a lovesick puppy.”

“Okay,” Usopp says slowly, “but… like what did he mean by ‘he likes him’?”

Finally the teen snaps out of his daze. “Ah no, it wasn’t a confession or anything,” he explains.

It really wasn’t. And it’s not like he isn’t aware of the fact that Law had meant it as a friend. But he takes what he can get, okay? Nami already warned him about not getting his hopes up and he doesn’t. Still, after he had thought that he lost all chances with Law and that he even may hate him, it had been incredibly nice to hear it out of his mouth that that wasn’t the case.

“He meant it as friends,” he says, more to himself. “But maybe there is a chance for me after all.”

Usopp take a sip from his sweet beverage and smiles at his friend. “That’s good to hear, Lu. Really.”

“I told you from the beginning that he is interested,” Nami pipes in, “but wasn’t there something about his ex and that she told you to stay away from Lami?”

Ugh. Thanks for the reminder Nami. Of course he hasn’t forgotten about this. How could he? But honestly… fuck her. That’s as much Law’s decision as it is hers. And Lami clearly likes to spend time with him and so does Luffy. What kind of mother would want to take this away from her child?

He shrugs. "Lami is Law's daughter too and as long as he's okay with it, I don't care about what Monet says."

"True," Usopp agrees. "But say Luffy, why don't you ask him out on a date already. Like a real official date."

Nami clicks her tongue. "I think it's Law that should ask him out already. Seriously, it's so obvious that he wants to." Luffy disagrees with this statement but he bites his tongue and Nami goes on, pondering aloud: "I honestly don't know what he's waiting for. I'd really like to know what is going on inside his head..."

-

“No, no, no.” Law paces up and down the room, occasionally throwing his hands up in the air in an exasperated manner. “No.” He stops his pacing for a moment, trying to say something. And then it starts anew. “No. Just no. No, no, no.”

“Say no one more time, I swear…”

Shachi looks ready to throw something heavy at him. So does Penguin and Ikkaku.

Law deadpans at his friend. “…no.”

The redhead buries his face in his hands and groans. “Stop it please,” he mumbles through his fingers. “I can’t take this anymore.”

“You know,” Ikakku starts cautiously, as if she’s dealing with a wounded and scared animal. “I think he might be right.”

Okay that’s it! He gets that Cora can be an idiot. Schachi and Penguin? Complete morons. But Ikakku?! The sanest person around him? Absolutely _ridiculous._ That really takes the cake.

Ever since his conversation with his dad – that took place just the other day – Law feels ever so _slightly_ distressed. Because c’mon, that has to be a joke. And a really bad one at that. ‘Maybe you are in love with him’ – Cora’s words play themselves on repeat in his head, keep him up at night and haunt him throughout the day. It’s just… no! Can’t be. Nu-uh, absolutely and definitely not.

What was that again with the five stages of grieve and denial being the first one? Ha! More like the five stages of denial and denial being every one of them.

“What do you mean ‘he might be right’?” he lashes out at her. “He’s most definitely not right! I don’t do _feelings_.” He says the word as if it’s poison down his throat. Like fire burning his tongue.

“Okay okay,” Penguin says, “we get it. You’re the heartless Mr. Heartstealer. Mr. Cum and go-“

Shachi and Ikkaku start cackling. “Smash and dash.”

“Mr. Blow your load and then hit the road...”

Oh how funny they are! Only that Law isn’t laughing at their dumb jokes… Can’t they see that this is serious for fucks sake?!

“-anyway,” Penguin continues after his laughter died down a bit, wiping tears from his eyes. “We totally get it okay. But consider this,” Law narrows his eyes at his friend, “imagine; sweet young and innocent Luffy, waking up next to you and helping you prepare breakfast for Lami. Imagine the three of you, sitting at the table and having a good time. Just picture it, okay. Him and your lovely daughter, playing together and filling the air with laughter and-“

“Peng,” Shachi interrupts, “I think you need to stop, he’s kinda having a mental breakdown as it seems.”

That’s a total understatement but okay. Because he _does_ imagine it and his heart does so many flips that it can’t possibly be healthy anymore. He thinks that it might jump out of his chest soon or maybe burst into a million pieces. “But-“ he slumps down on the nearest chair, his legs not able to hold his weight anymore. “But,” he repeats, without really knowing what to say.

Ikkaku giggles, despite his obvious misery. “Look, Law. I don’t know what excuses your head made up or how many scenarios are in there as for how it possibly could go wrong. I don’t want to hear any of them.”

Shachi agrees: “Yeah just shut down that brain of yours and listen to what your heart is telling you for a second, as cheesy as that may sound. It’s obvious that you like him. Why not give it a chance? Because we all know that he likes you too.”

“But-“

“No more ‘buts’ Law. The only but that is important now is the one with the double ‘t’. If you know what I mean.”

God, can they be serious for a goddamn minute maybe?

“We don’t say you should marry him. Just ask him out on a date and see where it goes from there.” 

Maybe he should listen to his friends for once. Maybe they are right. Maybe he really did fall for the teen. And for others that would probably be a good thing – being in love and all that. But for Law it’s just a fucking scary thought and it causes him to panic more than anything else.

The mental picture of a smiling Luffy pops out before his inner eye and it’s strange, really. Strange how it can soothe his rapidly beating heart while at the same time causing it to go into frenzy. But that’s just the effect that Luffy has on him and maybe it’s time to accept it.

‘A date and then see where it goes from there’, that doesn’t sound too bad if he’s being honest. It means he could spend time with Luffy and Law wants that. At this point having the teen around him is as essential as breathing. And maybe, just maybe, all his doubts are for nothing and he’s just standing in the way of his own luck.

Ikkaku pats his shoulder and shoots him a pitiful smile. “Look, you can take it slow. Why don’t you just invite him to come with you and Lami to the beach on Sunday?”

He quirks an eyebrow at her. “Didn’t you three want to come along?”

She puts up her most devilish smile: “Nah we can’t. I just remembered that something came up. Right boys?”

Shachi and Penguin nod their heads in agreement, grinning smugly. Law sighs in defeat. “Alright… yeah I can do that.”

______________

“Are you sure you didn’t forget anything?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“What about water? It’s really hot today, you have to drink enough water, Lu. And did you put on some sunscreen?”

He groans at the phone in his hand. “Yes Nami, you don’t have to act like my mother for fucks sake!”

That came out way more aggressive than he intended to and of course Sanji is quick to call him out on it. “Oi idiot, you really don’t have to snap at her like this!”

He’s right of course. It’s just… “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just really nervous…”

The girls start giggling. “I’m sure you are,” Vivi says while still chuckling, “it’s the first time you’ll see him shirtless right?”

Oh.

_Oh._

“Lu, you still there?” Zoro asks.

“I think his brain just short-circuited.”

He didn’t even consider this. How the hell did he not consider seeing a shirtless Law on the fucking _beach_?! This means that today is the day where he finally gets to see his tattoos without that unnecessary fabric in the way. He’s not sure if he’s going to survive this to be honest.

Robin speaks up and snaps him out of his thoughts. “Luffy,” she snickers, “did you not think about this until now?”

No, he fucking didn’t! And that’s just great, now he has even more to be nervous about. “No but thanks, now I _am_ thinking about it…”

He goes to grab his bag and looks himself over in the mirror again. He thinks he looks rather plain but oh well… luckily there is no fancy outfit required when going to the beach. Putting his beloved straw hat on his head he checks the time; Law will be here soon.

“Alright guys, I have to go now. Thanks for the mental support,” he says and hopes that his voice is dripping with sarcasm as he intended it to. They all just laugh though and wish him luck and then he ends the call.

 _Alright,_ he thinks to himself, taking a deep breath. _I got this! I can spend a day with them without making a fool of myself._ He exhales shakily and steps out of his apartment, making his way downstairs where he already spots Law waiting for him.

Stepping out into the sun he is met with the most charming smile; he already feels his knees getting weak.

“Hi,” Law greets him, “you look good.”

Okay, abort mission! Not even a minute has passed and he is already overwhelmed with the situation. Law’s behavior seriously causes him whiplash. From flirty to not flirty to _very_ flirty… can he please decide on something for the sake of Luffy’s sanity. Or maybe he’s reading way too much into this and Law just tried to be friendly. No matter what it is though, he had already let too much time pass without saying anything and therefore already made a fool of himself. So much for that.

“Um… hi,” he stutters, “thank you…” His cheeks already feel warm and Law sure notices it too. “Um you look good too,” he adds shyly and immediately wants to bite his own tongue off. But Law shoots him a genuine smile and just like that all his worries fly out the metaphorical window, his heart fluttering like crazy.

“Thanks. Shall we? I think the little monster in the car is going to explode soon if I keep you away from her any longer.”

Luffy peeks behind Law and there is in fact little Lami in the car, impatiently bouncing in her seat and grinning from ear to ear. He giggles at how cute she looks. “Yeah, let’s not keep her waiting.”

Law goes to open the passenger’s door for him and he can already hear her whining. “Daddy I want to go hug him!”

“No, pumpkin. You can still hug him later, okay?”

“NO! I want now!”

“Or you know, we could just head home again and tell Luffy that we have to cancel a fun day on the beach just because you decided to throw a tantrum.”

That apparently does it, for she sits perfectly still immediately without making a sound. Call him crazy, but Luffy thinks that there’s just something so sexy about Law when he gets into his ‘daddy mode’. It gets him all hot and bothered to see the tattooed man being so strict.

He swallows down the lump in his throat and gets into the car. Fastening the seatbelt, he turns his head to grin at the little girl. “Hi princess,” he waves at her, “how are you? Are you excited?”

Silence.

She only looks at him with her big shiny eyes, biting her lip.

Law got into the driver’s seat by now and rolls his eyes. “You can of course say hi-“

“LUFFY! I’m so happy! I’m really, really excited! Are you excited too?” She blabbers on and on, words tumbling out of her mouth like a waterfall. Law laughs lightly at his daughter’s behavior while he starts the engine. “Pumpkin, you should maybe let him talk too for a change. And don’t forget to breathe now and then.”

“I’m sorry Luffy, I’m just so excited! I want to go swimming with you,” she squeals.

From the corner of his eyes he can see the smug smile on Law’s lips. He’s clearly recalling the whole pool fiasco… Luffy feels his cheeks heating up. “Um actually… I can’t swim,” he admits and sees how Lami’s eyes turn comically wide.

“What? How do you not know how to swim?” she practically yells at him.

“Well, I really love water, especially the ocean. But I think the ocean doesn’t like me,” he explains. It’s the truth; every time he tried to swim it was as if the ocean tried to pull him down into its depths. No matter how many times he had tried it, he always sank like a rock.

“Don’t worry,” the girl giggles, “daddy will teach you. He taught me too and if I can do it, you can do it too!”

The car comes to a halt and they exit the vehicle. As soon as Lami got out, she rushes to Luffy and hugs his leg. He scoops her up in his arms and plants a sweet kiss on her cheeks, which makes her giggle happily in return. He sees that Law hastily turns his head away and… is there a faint blush on his cheeks? No, clearly Luffy must have imagined it.

The tall man clears his throat. “Alright, let’s go.”

Together they walk alongside the beach, Luffy enjoying the feeling of sand on his feet. It’s a Sunday and the weather is perfect which means that many people had the same idea to come to the beach but eventually they find a place that is a bit more secluded.

“Daddy, can we go swimming now? Please.”

“Yes, yes. Don’t be so impatient.” He turns his head towards Luffy, who is currently busy with placing his towel on the hot sand. “You come too, right?” Then he adds with a cheeky smile: “Don’t worry, I won’t let you drown.”

Luffy pouts at his comment but agrees anyway. He’s already sweaty and the prospect of cooling off sounds more than nice.

“Yeah sure,” he agrees easily, “and I’m not worried. Not when I have you as my personal lifeguard.”

Law is folding Lami’s summer dress and puts it neatly into his bag. He smirks at Luffy. “I don’t remember getting paid to be a lifeguard.”

The teen chuckles. “I can buy ice cream for all of us later. You know, for your hard work as a lifeguard.”

“Yes ice cream!” Lami cheers.

“See? Your daughter agrees that this is a reasonable paym-“

The rest of his sentence gets stuck in his throat because Law just pulled his shirt over his head and tosses it into his bag and… holy shit. _Holy shit!_

He knew that seeing Law shirtless would be fucking glorious but in no way was he prepared for _that_!

Tan skin is glistening with a thin film of sweat, his chest broad and muscular and his abs… good god his abs! Never in his life did Luffy ever see anything come close to how good Law looks. He knows that he is staring and that it’s more than inappropriate but he just can’t tear his eyes away from this gorgeous man.

And finally, _finally,_ he gets to see his tattoo fully. It’s even better than in his wildest dreams.

A big heart with a grinning smiley in its middle decorates his chest, reaching down over his chiseled abs and stops just short above his belly button. On the top of the heart are black lines, coming out of it like flames and reaching high up to his collarbone and even touch his shoulders. Luffy feels his mouth water at the sight. Oh what he wouldn’t give to trace the black ink with his fingertips…

“Cool tattoo,” he sputters, hoping to make the moment a little less awkward.

Law shoots him a lopsided smile. “Thanks.”

God, he knows exactly what he’s doing to Luffy.

“Can we go already,” Lami pleas, tugging at Luffy’s arm. Shit, for a second he forgot that she’s there too. He really has to get his shit together now.

He pats her head and nods, getting rid of his own shirt too. Law exhales though his nose loudly and lets his golden eyes wander over Luffy’s body. He feels self-conscious all of a sudden, face turning red under Law’s hungry gaze.

“Whoa! Does it hurt?” Lami asks, pointing at the X-shaped scar on Luffy’s chest. Normally Luffy doesn’t feel insecure about it but now with Law’s eyes on him he can’t help it. What if he thinks it looks ugly?

“No it doesn’t hurt, princess,” he reassures her. “I was in an accident two years ago. But it’s all good now,” he adds to answer Law’s unspoken question.

“I’m glad that you are fine and I don’t know if this is inappropriate to say but I think it looks cool.”

Oh. He thinks it looks cool. That’s… that’s good.

“Well anyway… let’s go.”

Lami doesn’t need to be told twice. She sprints towards the ocean, cheering on the way and Law jogs after her. “Lami, don’t go too far!” he shouts after her.

“Yes daddy I know. ‘Always stay close to me’.”

He soon reaches her and splashes water at her, making her squeal in delight. Luffy on the other hand hesitates to go in. He shifts on his feet awkwardly, the wet sand feeling nice against his skin. “Luffy come on, the water feels great!”

He gulps. Either Zoro or Sanji had to drag his body out of the ocean on more than one occasion and he really doesn’t want to repeat the experience. Especially not now with Law.

The older man comes walking towards him then when he gets that Luffy won’t make a move anytime soon. He reaches his hand out and Luffy takes it cautiously. He lets the older man lead him into the water until it reaches his torso. Lami was right; it really feels great. It’s warm but still cooling his heated skin.

“Scared?” the tattooed man asks.

“No,” he answers truthfully. Because how could he be scared with him at his side? With Law’s hand in his? He feels safe with him.

Law pulls on his hand lightly, going even deeper into the water and Luffy follows easily. When he suddenly doesn’t feel sand underneath his feet anymore, he lets out a little yelp and blindly grabs the nearest thing he can find, holding onto it for dear life. After the first shock passed, he cracks his eyes open only to realize that he is in fact holding onto Law’s shoulder. The older, on the other hand has a supporting grip around his waist and fuck… they are incredibly close. Law is staring down at the teen, smile on his lips and eyes shining even more in the bright sunlight. They look like molten gold...

He knows that Law won’t let him drown but he’s still not sure if he’s going to survive the day.

Lami giggles next to them. “Wohoo you did it Luffy!” she cheers.

Well, not really. The only thing preventing him from sinking to the ocean’s ground is Law but he appreciates it anyway. And yes, he’s floating in the water so there’s that. Now he only fears to pass out from being so close to the older man.

Law chuckles. “You know that you have to move your legs right? Don’t worry, I’ll keep holding you.”

Luffy swallows hard but hesitantly removes his hands from Law’s shoulders. He moves his legs in the water, not knowing if he’s doing it right. If there even is a right way to do this. At least he knows that Law is still holding him. Except that he isn't; as soon as he realizes that Law has both of his hands free and not at all on him for support, Luffy starts to panic. He grabs his arm, desperately clinging onto it.

“Hey! You lied!”

He laughs softly at the distressed look on the teen’s face. “Did I? I think I did. Oops.” Ha ha, very funny. “But you did it. Without my help.”

That’s true and it’s the most progress he’s ever made but he still feels betrayed. He pouts at the older men. “I could have drowned…”

Law puts a strong arm around him and pulls him close. “Don’t worry I got you,” he says in a hushed voice and for Luffy time suddenly stands still. They are so close that he can feel Law’s warm breath on his face, their chests pressed flush together. His heart is beating rapidly against his ribcage. Or is it Law’s heart? He can’t tell. He can’t even think straight anymore; his mind focuses only on the feeling of Law’s skin against his, on the firm grip he has around his small waist. The world around them doesn’t exist anymore, there are only the both of them and their hearts racing in perfect sync. Law leans down; getting even closer, their faces only inches apart. Luffy forgets how to breathe and then-

“Daddy!”

Lami’s voice harshly snaps them out of their daze and then the little devil splashes water at them. She laughs at their dumbfounded expression. Law recovers from the initial shock first and glares at his daughter, mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Oh wait ‘til I get to you, you little…” His arm is still around Luffy but they aren’t as close anymore. He swims towards the shore until Luffy can feel the security of sand underneath his feet again. Leaving him there he chases after the little girl.

Luffy can hear her happy giggles as her father catches her and lifts her in the air but it seems as if they are far, far away. Everything feels so unreal.

Was Law about to kiss him?

The moment had felt like it was going on forever when in reality it was probably only a few seconds and Luffy starts to doubt if it even really happened.

No.

He’s pretty sure that he would have kissed him if Lami hadn’t interrupted them. Either that or he’s going crazy.

“-uffy? Luffy!”

“Huh?”

Law is standing next to him; Lami on top of his shoulders, smiling brighter than the sun. He has no idea how long he’s standing there or how many times he had called his name.

“Is everything alright?” he asks, clearly worried.

“…yeah.”

God, what is he supposed to do now? He can’t just casually ask him _‘Hey were you just trying to kiss me? If so, can you do it now please?’_ There is still the possibility that Luffy just imagined it and if that’s the case he would never recover from the embarrassment…

He eyes the teen suspiciously. “Okay… lets head back to the beach for now, okay? We can try later again if you want to.”

Luffy nods and follows him out of the water. Lami grins at him: “See, the ocean doesn’t hate you!”

Well, maybe not the ocean. But Luffy starts to think that the universe hates him. He can’t get it out of his head… Law had been so close and it had felt so nice. The tension between them had been thicker than ever but now he acts as if nothing ever happened.

Luffy clings onto the last hope; that it’s only because Lami is there with him. He refuses to believe that Law is just leading him on. He’s not like that…

He can’t dwell on his confusing thoughts for long though because seeing Law getting out of the water is… something else. His tan skin is wet and sparkling, droplets of water running over the large tattoo and down his muscular back. Luffy is mesmerized by the sight of his biceps flexing when he runs his hand through his wet hair. It’s not even funny anymore, how good he looks.

The tattooed man shoots him a sly smile. Great, he has caught him staring again. Can people die from embarrassment? Because he’s pretty sure that’s going to happen soon.

“You did pretty well,” Law says.

Luffy starts pouting. “Oh please,” he drawls, “you don’t have to lie to make me feel better. I started panicking as soon as I realized that you weren’t holding onto me anymore.”

“That’s fine,” he chuckles. “Baby steps Luffy. Baby steps.”

Luffy slumps down on his towel and turns to lie on his stomach; his face buried in his crossed arms to hide his flushed face from Law. Which at this point comes kinda late. But still.

Lami sits down beside him and pokes his cheek. “You did so good Luffy! Soon we can have a swimming contest!” Well at least she believes in him, the little angel. “Daddy is the best teacher!” He has to disagree on that. A good teacher wouldn’t distract his student by almost kissing them...

“Are you hungry?”

Now that catches his interest. He peeks out underneath his arms. “Food?”

“Yes food.”

Luffy sits up then and gladly takes the watermelon wedge that Law offers him. He devours it within seconds while Law and Lami both only took one, maybe two, bites of theirs. Law raises a single eyebrow at him. “Has anyone ever told you that you eat like a vacuum cleaner?”

“Oh yeah. All the time,” he answers laughing and takes the next piece Law hands him.

“Gross,” he comments. “Kinda fascinating. But gross.”

He shrugs. “At least there are never any leftovers. Sanji says that’s a good thing; food shouldn’t be wasted and I agree.”

“True.” Law nods and offers him another piece, which Luffy gladly takes. “He’s a chef right?”

“Yes, his food is amazing! We should go eat at his dad’s restaurant sometimes. It’s a bit fancy but the food is really delicious.”

Law’s cheeks turn just the slightest bit red as he smiles at the younger. “Sure,” he agrees easily, “let’s do that.”

-

They ate in peace while they dried off. There was a little fuss afterwards because Lami didn’t want to put on sunscreen, but Law quickly solved the problem by activating his ‘dad mode’. After a lot of pouting on her part he suggested for her to build a sandcastle, which instantly brought her cheery mood back. Even more so when Luffy had offered to help her.

They are both not good at it but oh well, they are having fun.

“Daddy how does it look?” she excitedly points at the… pile of sand behind her.

“Well,” Law starts and has to visibly hold back his laughter, “I definitely can see the sand. I just have a hard time to find the castle.”

“Wow. You’re such a meanie.” She pouts at her father.

“Um first off all: rude. And as if you could do it any better,” Luffy challenges him.

That, of course, puts a cocky smirk on his lips. “Oh you bet I could do it better.”

“Oh yeah? Then you have to prove it. Right Lami?”

“Uh-huh.”

Law lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. I’ll show you how it’s done properly.”

Luffy and Lami both scrunch their noses and exchange a look, nodding at each other in a silent understanding. Law only sees it coming when it’s already too late and two fists full of sand land right in his face. He sputters and coughs. “Oh you’re both so going to end up as dinner for the fish…”

Lami gets the hint and starts running while laughing uncontrollably but it’s no use; Law of course is way faster with his long legs and catches her soon, throwing her over his shoulder with ease. “Nooo,” she wheezes, “let go!”

Luffy is highly amused by the scene playing out before his eyes, wiping tears from laughter from his eyes. He feels content in his false sense of security. That is, until he sees Law making his way towards him. “Wait,” he tries, taking a few steps back, “I give u…ah!” Law shows no sign of having mercy. He puts his arm around Luffy’s waist and lifts his feet off of the sandy ground as if he weighs nothing.

“I’m sorry,” he says casually while strolling towards the water, “there’s nothing I can do about it, I have to sacrifice you both to the ocean.”

The teen is struggling in his hold but damn he really is strong, no chance of escaping. He doesn’t walk to deep into the water of course and then Lami flies first. “No, no! Law you can’t…-“ only barely he manages to close both his eyes and mouth before his head is underwater. It’s only for a second though until he’s back on the surface, with Law’s hand around his upper arm and his feet securely on the ground.

Lami splashes water around her. “Throw me again daddy! Please!”

Luffy can’t help but to burst out in laughter too. He punches Law in the arm playfully. “That was really mean!”

The taller man smirks down at him. “You were messing with the wrong guy.”

“Well I’m heading back to dry land. You know, where I don’t have to fear actually becoming food for the fish.”

Law wants to follow him but Lami demands to get thrown into the water again so he agrees to stay with her a little longer.

Back on his towel Luffy can’t help but stare at the two of them. This day has been very fun so far if a bit confusing earlier with the whole ‘I don’t know if he had wanted to kiss me’-thing. Nonetheless he really enjoys spending time with them and not just because of his enormous crush on Law. _If only every day could be like this,_ he thinks while fondly looking at the father-daughter duo.

Until a familiar voice snaps him out of his daydream.

“Luffy? Is that you?”

He turns his head left and right, searching for the person the voice belongs to. Then he spots him, easily recognizing the pink hair. Coby comes jogging towards him with his blond friend in tow, as always.

“Coby!” he shouts, excited to see his friend. “Hi! It’s so good to see you.”

“Uh… um yeah it’s nice to see you too,” he sputters. His cheeks are tinted red from the sun, Luffy assumes, and as always he has a hard time to hold eye-contact. He’s just weird like that. “Hi Helmeppo, it’s nice to see you too,” he eventually greets the blond.

“I-I didn’t um expect to uhh- I…“

Helmeppo rolls his eyes at his stuttering friend but has mercy and finishes his sentence for him. “We didn’t expect to see you here. How are you doing?”

They talk for a bit, exchanging stories of what they had been up to the last few weeks. Both of them are a bit weird, especially Coby. He’s totally shy and easily thrown of guard but he has a heart of gold. The three of them have a few classes together and they even hang out after school from time to time. Luffy really likes hanging out with them.

They joke around until Coby asks: “Say, are you here with your friends? Where are they?”

As if summoned, Law comes walking towards them right in this moment and Coby’s eyes turn as big as saucers as soon as he spots him. “Who are your friends?” Law asks, his head slightly tilted to the side. Something about his tone seems a bit off but Luffy doesn’t pay it all too much mind.

“This is Coby,” he points to the pink-haired, “and his friend Helmeppo. Guys, this is Law. And the lovely young lady is his daughter Lami.” The little girl waves at them and Coby visibly relaxes, letting out a little sigh.

“I know them from my classes,” he explains to Law.

“I see. Nice to meet you guys. Lami. C’mere pumpkin. You have to drink some water.”

While Law is busy with handling his daughter, Coby turns to him. “So actually we’re going to meet up with friends for a volleyball match. Do you want to come too Luffy?”

The teen perks up at that. “A volleyball match?” he asks, eyes shining. “Sounds fun! Should we go Law?”

The tall man shifts awkwardly on his towel. He seems tense out of nowhere. “We’ll pass,” he pauses for a second and then adds: “But you should go.”

Huh? No way he’ll go without them! He’s here with him and Lami after all, why would Law suggest for him to go with Coby?

He turns to his pink haired friend. “Nah if they aren’t up for it then I’ll pass too. But we could go another time and I’ll invite the rest of the crew!”

Coby and Helmeppo agree and they all say their farewells. When they walk off, Luffy thinks he hears Coby saying something about ‘no chance’ and ‘male super model’. Huh… whatever.

“You should have gone with them,” Law says after they are out of sight. “You clearly wanted to…”

Luffy scrunches his nose. “I mean yeah it would have been fun and all but… I’d much rather stay here with you,” he admits shyly. Law smiles at that. It just doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

-

They stayed for a few more hours after that and Luffy actually managed to swim a few strokes, only with Law’s help of course. The man has the patience of an angel, really, but in the end it paid off and Luffy is happy with his performance. And to see the proud looks on their faces made it all the more worth it.

Way too soon the sun started to set and when the sky turned a beautiful orange and pink colour, that’s when they decided to call it a day and head home. Lami dozed off in the car and only woke up when they arrived at Luffy’s apartment to say goodbye.

He goes to open the door of the backseat to kiss her cheek and ruffle her hair. “Bye princess. Thank you for being the best cheerleader.” She smiles sleepily up at him. “I had so much fun Luffy! I still think our sandcastle looked great.” He laughs lightly. “Let’s do something like this again soon, okay?”

He ruffles her hair again. “Okay. Sleep tight little whirlwind.” Yawning loudly she waves after him.

Law insists walking him to the door and now Luffy shifts awkwardly, not really knowing how he should say goodbye. The tall man stands close to him, way closer than necessary, the air around them buzzing with energy. He sees the tall man biting his lower lip and unconsciously mirrors the action.

They stand there for a while in silence, staring at each other. Luffy’s heart is beating loudly, his knees feel like jelly and his face heats up. For the second time that day it seems as if Law wants to kiss him.

It never comes though and instead he opens his arms to pull Luffy in for a hug. “Thank you for today,” he mumbles and then pulls away slightly so Luffy is able to stare up at his handsome face and into his golden eyes. Law’s gaze on the other hand is fixated on Luffy’s parted lips.

 _Please, please, please,_ Luffy prays.

He thinks he’s going to faint soon and then all of a sudden the moment is gone and Law lets go of him. He doesn’t hear Law saying goodbye; mind racing way too much and the only thing he hears is the blood rushing in his ears. Frozen on the spot he watches him walk back to the car. And he still stands there for a long time, long after Law already disappeared into the distance.

Why didn't he just do it...?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys I'm back with a new update (sorry for being such a slow writer)
> 
> Thank you all so much for all the Kudos and comments; they always make my day! <3
> 
> And now I hope that you guys enjoy the new chapter! :D

„Lami," he calls out to his daughter.

She's sitting on the couch, completely engrossed with her handheld console. Probably deeply immersed in the world of her new game that Law recently bought for her. Something about living together with animals or something; not that Law would know anything about it. Even though he has to admit that it looks rather cute...

“Do you want eggs for breakfast? Or pancakes?”

Silence.

Law sighs and steps around the kitchen isle into the living room. “Lami, did you hear me? I asked you a question.”

Still no answer.

“Lami.” It’s a warning this time. “Put that thing down. And answer if you’re being asked a question.”

She glares at him with her big hazel eyes, lips pouty and eyebrows furrowed together.

Law sighs again. She’s acting weird ever since they came home from the beach yesterday. Didn’t even want him to read her a bedtime story, which only ever happens if she’s really upset.

The thing is: Law has no idea what’s up with her. Normally she’s pretty vocal about things that upset her. Not this time though; she hasn’t said a word to Law yet. In fact, she’s avoiding him since he woke her up an hour ago.

“Lami this is your last warning.”

“I’m not hungry…,” she mumbles and Law’s patience is wearing thinner by the second.

“You have to eat something. I’m making scrambled eggs then.”

She mumbles something unintelligible under her breath. Law feels his eye twitch in irritation. “What was that?” he inquires.

“I said I don’t wanna!” she yells while throwing the console onto the couch. It bounces from the cushion and falls down onto the floor.

Law takes a deep breath to calm himself down. “Lami,” he grits through his teeth, “you know that you have to be careful with your things.” He goes to pick the console up from the floor and inspects it. Luckily it seems as if it hasn’t been damaged. She’s not getting it back anytime soon though. “And I don’t tolerate you yelling at me! What is up with you?!”

Tears spring to her eyes but Law isn’t fazed; she started this after all. “I’m angry with you,” she admits quietly, hands clutching at the fabric of her dress.

He crosses his arms and stares down at his daughter. “I’ve noticed,” he says slowly, trying to keep his voice calm. “Why?”

She fidgets with her hands, cheeks puffed and eyes wet. “Because you didn’t kiss Luffy yesterday…”

_What?_

He stares at her with wide eyes, mouth hanging open and words stuck in his throat. Her cheeks redden more by the second as she goes on: “He wanted you to kiss him!” Her voice is whiny and normally it would melt Law’s heart to see her like this. Now, however, his thoughts are reeling way too fast. He feels like sitting down – no, he feels like downing a whole bottle of pure alcohol - but she keeps talking. “And you wanted to kiss him too! Daddy I know you like him… why didn’t you kiss him?”

Is this really happening? Is his daughter – mind you, _8 year old_ daughter – really lecturing him about his love life? Of course he knows that Lami is very fond of Luffy, to put it mildly, but that’s taking it a bit too far, isn’t it?

This is... it's not even that he didn't want to kiss Luffy; in fact that's all he could think about.

And he almost did kiss him. When they were in the water together, with their sunkissed bodies pressed flush together and Luffy's big expectant eyes shining up at him; he wanted it, wanted nothing more than to capture his inviting lips with his. It would have happened, he's sure, if it weren't for Lami interrupting them.

And then he had wanted to do it right in front of his apartment too, had wanted to just cup his pretty face and steal his first kiss from him.

But he couldn't do it.

He couldn't fucking do it no matter how much his heart had yearned for it.

“Lami,” he starts, keeping his voice as calm as possible, “look, Luffy and I… we do like each other but it doesn’t work like that. It’s not that easy.”

The little girls puffs out her cheeks. “It is! You’re just stupid!”

_Okay, that’s it!_

“Is this how you talk to your father? Go to your room now! You can come out when breakfast is ready or when you’re ready to apologize. Until then I don’t want to hear a single peep from you, understood?”

Tears spill down her cheeks and it’s obvious that she’s biting her tongue.

“Your room. Now!”

She storms off as fast as her little legs can carry her and slams the door shut.

Bepo, who was curled up on a cushion and peacefully napping, startles from the noise and jumps down from the couch with a loud hiss. He goes to hide underneath it and Law tries to lure him out again with no success; he’s too frightened from the turmoil.

Great.

He shakes his head and lets out a shaky breath. This whole dispute took five years from his life. At least. 

-

The sizzling noise coming from the pan swallows up the sound of Lami's footsteps as she sneaks up on her father about half an hour later. 

She hugs Law's leg tightly and pouts up at him. He sighs softly while he keeps stirring the scrambled eggs. “I didn’t call you for breakfast yet,” he says while adding the chopped veggies.

“Daddy I’m sorry,” she whines, “please don’t be angry anymore. I didn’t mean to call you stupid…”

“Lami…”

She tugs at his pant leg; quietly begging him to scoop her up in his arms, he knows. His heart breaks for his little girl, resolve slowly crumbling. After reducing the heat on the stove he gently removes her tiny hands from the fabric of his trouser and lifts her up; holding her tightly against his chest with one arm to still have his other hand free to keep stirring.

She presses her face against his shirt, her big tears wetting the material. “I’m sorry,” she sobs.

Law puts the spatula down to stroke her hair. “I accept your apology. Now come, you should eat something before I have to drop you off at school.”

With his thumb he wipes away her tears before pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. His heart breaks at seeing her eyes all red and puffy.

Sitting her down on the chair he goes to grab two plates, placing one in front of her and the other for himself next to hers. He takes the pan from the stove and fills their plates with the steaming eggs, the delicious smell making his mouth water. Lami’s too apparently, as she grabs her fork and impatiently waits for her father to sit down.

He fills her glass with orange juice before doing so and nods at her silent question.

“Thanks for the food,” she says with an uncharacteristic meek voice before she starts digging in.

“Daddy, I’m sowwee-“

“Lami, don’t talk with your mouth full. Did you forget all your manners?”

She gulps the bite down. “Sorry. Daddy I…,” she trails off, her hazel eyes getting all teary again.

“Pumpkin,” Law starts, “you’re clearly very upset about this. Talk to me.”

She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbles at the sensitive skin, eyes wandering around, avoiding her father’s gaze. “It’s… is it because of me, daddy? That you can’t be together with Luffy, is it because of me?”

Lami really never fails to amaze him. Sometimes it’s almost scary how perceptive she can be.

“No princess, of course no-“

“I know that you like him,” she cuts him off. “You always look so happy when you see him… and Luffy too! I don’t mind getting another dad!” Law cracks a smile at that, his own eyes slightly start to well up too. “Daddy I just want you to be happy,” she then adds in a hushed voice.

Law puts his fork down slowly and walks over to her. He kneels down next to her to get on her eye-level. Stroking her hair he says: “I know sweetie. It’s not because of you.” He inhales sharply. Never would he have seen it coming that he would need to have such a conversation with her this morning. “It’s… a bit more complicated than you think. Love is not always easy. Sometimes it’s not enough for two people to like each other, you know.”

He knows that in her world his words don’t make sense; he can see it in her big eyes and in the way she pouts at him. Of course they don’t; from a child’s perspective the concept of love seems to be simple. Two people who like each other should just be together, no? Law wishes it would work like that.

The thing is; Lami is kind of the reason why Law is holding back. He would rather be buried alive than ever admit this to her though. And it’s not really for the reason that she thinks it is either.

Law knows that his daughter wouldn’t be against him being in a relationship. In fact, she told him so multiple times. It’s just… dating someone with a child is different.

Luffy is young and free and Law doesn’t want to restrict him and rob him of this freedom. But that’s exactly what would happen with all the responsibilities that come with being a parent.

Law knows very well what it’s like being a father at Luffy’s age, knows what it feels like having to say no to all the fun stuff his friends wanted to do. It never bothered him because being with his baby girl was better anyway. But that doesn’t mean that it has been easy.

Of course being in a relationship with Law wouldn’t make him a parent and he wouldn’t have responsibilities for Lami. That’s his and Monet’s job, he is aware of that. Still, he could never offer Luffy a normal relationship.

He’s still a teen, young and inexperienced. He should be together with someone his age, someone who is just as free. Someone who he can discover all the good things this world has to offer with. Someone like the boy from the beach, who obviously has a huge crush on Luffy. He would be a better choice than Law ever could be.

His heart aches again as he thinks back to how happy they both looked while talking and joking around. That’s what he wants Luffy to have. Wouldn’t it be selfish of Law to take this away from him?

And maybe it wouldn’t bother Luffy for some time. But it wouldn’t last, Law is sure. One day he would wake up and realize that he could have so much more from life. He would realize that he rather wants to travel the globe instead of being stuck with a partner who has a child to look after. And then? Then he would leave him and Law would be the one being left behind with his shattered heart in his hands and no idea how to puzzle the pieces back together again.

Maybe, he thinks, maybe he’s just a coward. What is he supposed to do about it?

Once a wall has built itself around a heart it needs a powerful force to tear it down again.

But the thing is:

Luffy is a force to be reckoned with.

-

“She’s right you know. You should’ve just kissed him.”

“Dad, did you listen to anything I just said?”

Cora sighs heavily, sounding tired and the slightest bit annoyed. “Yes. I stand by what I said though. And I stand by what I’m thinking but you don’t want to hear that.”

Law continues pacing up and down the living room, irritation now crawling over his skin. “Oh just hit me with it.”

“I think,” Cora starts slowly, “that you’re an idiot. There. I said it. Don’t you dare yell at me now.”

What’s it with his friends and family all calling him an idiot? Like hell he’s an idiot! “Gee, thanks dad. I’ll remember it for the next time I consider asking you for advice…”

Cora’s light chuckle gets drowned out by the loud crack of the thunder shaking the earth. Law looks out the window, mesmerized by the huge raindrops thrumming heavily against the glass. He already smelt the rain the moment he left the house in the morning. Luckily the heavy thunderstorm only started after he dropped Lami off at school.

For a moment he gets stuck in a trance as he watches the lightning split the sky; illuminating the world for a fleeting second before everything turns gloomy again. Heavy, dark clouds immerse the sky into darkness, sprawling across it like a thick blanket above their heads.

Law loves days like these. Summer storms always make him feel melancholic. He gets lost easily in the soothing rumble of thunder and the rain crashing down onto the ground.

“Law are you listening?”

He forces his gaze to tear away from the window and instead slumps down on the couch, burying his hand in Bepo’s fluffy fur. The little fur ball lifts his head at the sudden attention, blinking sleepily up at him. Law smiles as he feels the vibration from the soft purrs.

“Yeah sorry,” he responds finally, “I’m still here.”

“As I said: I mean it in the most loving way possible, really, but when it comes to relationships – and I’m not just talking about the romantic kind – you can be quite dumb.”

Law huffs but Cora doesn’t let him say anything to defend himself. “Like honestly, how long did it take you to finally call me dad? I’ll tell you: three years. It took you three years of living with me to call me dad. And I know that it’s not because you didn’t accept me as your parent. You just didn't understand it earlier, that we indeed are a family and that I had absolutely no intention of letting you go again.”

“That’s-“

“And remember the time I asked you if you want to invite your friends over? Because I do. I remember the face you made like it happened yesterday.” He chuckles and Law’s mood turns sour at the memory. “The expression you made while asking me what I mean by ‘friends’… good lord have mercy. That was when you already hung out with them every day for like what? A year?”

“You really don’t-“

“Or with Monet too. You guys were dating for more than a year until you realized that you are in a relationship with her. How does that even work?”

“Can you-“

“What I’m trying to say is that you are really, _really,_ terrible with these things. So, for once, please listen to the people who love you. Don’t make yourself miserable with over thinking everything. Just… shut down that dumb brain of yours for a second.”

Bepo meows his protest as Law retreats his hand to bury his face in it. “Dad you don't understand. I’m… I’m not good for him.”

“You don’t get to decide that.”

No? Isn’t it his responsibility as the older and more experienced of the two to think about things like this? Isn’t it the reasonable thing to do, to try and prevent them both – especially Luffy – from all the things that could go wrong?

Cora, as always, uses his talent of reading Law’s mind against him. “Stop thinking about the ‘what ifs’. The boy is obviously smitten with you. And you are too; don’t even try to deny it.” He pauses for a second and then adds: “Don’t use your daughter as an excuse just because you’re scared.”

Law sighs. “You don’t know him dad. He's basically the polar opposite of me: full of life and energy. He's young and free. I can’t take this away from him.”

“Law,” Cora says in a calm tone, “why exactly do you think you would take anything away from him? Maybe he’s freest when he’s with you and Lami.”

His father’s words hit him like a punch to the gut, his throat suddenly feeling all tied up.

What if his dad is right? Is Law really overthinking this too much?

“Dad,” he starts but then gets distracted by his phone buzzing in his hand. “Hold on.” He glances at the screen; his heart immediately starts fluttering as he reads the name popped up on the screen. “Speaking of the devil: he just tried to call me. We’ll talk later, yeah?”

His dad chuckles. “Sure,” he says, sounding way too amused, “good luck. I love you.”

“Oh shut up. I love you too. Bye dad.”

The call ends and Law dials Luffy’s number right afterwards. It doesn’t even ring twice and the teen already answers the call.

“Hi,” comes Luffy’s cheery voice through the speaker, greeting him as enthusiastic as ever. Law’s heart skips a beat as he imagines the way too bright smile that he’s probably wearing right now.

He glances over his shoulder at the window, only to see that the world outside is in fact still as black as it was before. Huh. He could have sworn that the sun just shone through the heavy clouds…

“Sorry, I don’t mean to bother you… I just… remembered that you mentioned having a day off today. And uhh Bellmere let me off work early because it was pretty quiet and now I’m bored so…” He clears his throat. “But now I… kinda realize that you still may be busy…?”

His nervous little laughter does all sorts of things to Law’s heart. He’s quick to reassure him. “You’re not bothering me at all, don’t worry. I’m not doing much besides petting Bepo.” At the mention of his name, his ear starts to twitch and he rolls over to lie on his back, demanding his beloved belly rubs.

Luffy gasps, “Oh I want to pet him too!”

“You should come over to pet him then,” Law jokes.

There’s a short pause and Law briefly wonders if his bold statement of wanting Luffy to come over maybe had been too much.

“Uhh… well… about that,” the teen stutters, “I’m kinda maybe in front of your house…?”

Law’s eyes turn wide; he immediately jumps up from his spot on the couch, coaxing an angry little sound out of Bepo. “What do you mean maybe you're in front of my house?!”

“Uh yeah… I’m in front of your house right now…”

As fast as he can Law rushes towards the door; pulling it open with so much force, he almost lifts it off the hinges.

Not that he expected anything else but there is in fact Monkey D. Luffy standing on his doormat. A very, _very_ wet Monkey D. Luffy.

Law gulps as he takes in the sight in front of his eyes. The teen’s hair is dripping wet, strands of black sticking onto his forehead. Droplets of rain are slowly dripping down his nose and chin; his rosy skin gleaming in the dim light of Law’s porch. He can’t help but let his eyes wander over the teen’s body; the way his clothes are clinging onto his skin making his jaw drop.

Suddenly his parental instincts kick in. “Are you an idiot?!” he snaps at the smaller male as he grips him by his arm and drags him into the hallway. “You’ll get sick!”

The teen hasn’t said a word yet and as Law feels his intense gaze on him, it suddenly dawns on him as of _why._ Luffy's mouth forms a small ‘o’ as he seems to not be able to tear his eyes away from Law’s chest tattoo.

It’s not as if Law has any insecurities about his body, in fact he’s very proud of it, but Luffy’s stare has quite the effect on him. The thought of Luffy’s fingers or lips on his tattoos make him twitch in his pajama pants.

_Fuck!_

“Uhh… sorry, hold on for a second. I’ll be right back.”

At that Luffy lifts his head – and fuck – the way he shyly looks up at Law through his lashes with a rosy colour dusting his cheeks… it’s too much.

He turns around on his heels and makes his way towards his room as fast as possible to change into something… less revealing.

Just why do all his good intentions fly right out of the window the moment Luffy is close to him?

 _Oh just fuck it all,_ he thinks to himself, _I don’t think I can hold myself back any longer from making a move…_

__________________

Luffy stands a little lost in the hallway as he waits for Law to come back. He shivers slightly, not sure if it’s from the cold or because the mental image of Law’s naked chest has etched itself into his brain. He feels his cheeks heat up again, almost regretting coming here. What was he thinking anyway?

Honestly, he’s not sure himself. After his shift ended sooner than anticipated, he really didn’t feel like going home. All his friends are busy though, so he ended up just wandering around. That’s maybe not the best idea in a thunderstorm but then again; sane is not really a word associated with Luffy.

He didn’t even realize where he was going and all of a sudden he found himself in Law’s neighborhood. So why not just call him, he thought. Nami told him to be bolder after all.

What he didn’t see coming though was to find a half naked Law opening the door for him; which is stupid to be honest, he lives here after all and who doesn’t make themselves comfortable on their day off?

Nonetheless it took him by surprise to be met with the beautiful sight of Law’s bare chest, the smiley in the middle of the heart almost mocking him with its big grin. And not to mention the grey sweatpants that didn’t leave much to the imagination…

He gulps down the lump in his throat, his cheeks heating up so much, he’s sure he’s already red as a tomato. To distract himself he takes a look around.

To absolutely no one’s surprise the house seems to be very clean and tidy from what he can see. The interior is modern and stylish - just as he expected it from the older man - and yet still cozy. Not much décor can be found, unlike the walls in his own apartment, where everything is clustered with things Luffy deems to be ‘cool’. Colours are held simple too, mostly white and soft beige tones, nothing out of the ordinary. The only things really popping out on the otherwise clean look are the colourful drawings and crafts that are clearly made by a certain little girl.

Just as he admires a cute picture of Law, Lami and Bepo, he can hear the deep voice right behind him.

Law, now wearing a shirt, shoves a bundle of clothes at Luffy. “Shower,” he says plain and simple as he marches off, leading the direction.

“But,” Luffy tries to protest but Law quickly cuts him off.

“No buts. You’re not catching a cold. Not on my watch.”

They come to a halt and Law opens the door to the bathroom for him. Pointing at the clothes in Luffy’s arms he says: “I’m sorry, I don’t have anything that fits you. This’ll have to do.”

Luffy pouts up at him. “I thought I’m here to pet your cat. And yet I still haven’t seen him.”

“Yeah well,” the tattooed shoots him a soft smile, one that with no doubt could melt a thousand hearts all at once, “Bepo doesn’t like to get petted by someone who is dripping wet. You can use the towel over there, it’s freshly washed. Now hop in and get warm again.”

He gladly complies without further protests. A hot, steamy shower doesn’t sound too bad to be honest, not with how the chill reached his bones at this point.

The door closes behind him and Luffy can’t help to feel a little awkward to be alone in an unfamiliar bathroom. Taking a shower _with_ Law would be way nicer… The thought crosses his mind for a second and the blush on his cheeks deepens.

Suddenly aware of the clothes in his hands he can’t help himself; he brings the soft material up to his face and buries his nose in it, inhaling Law’s scent deeply. He feels like a creep doing so but damn if this isn’t the nicest smell on this planet. Arousal spikes up in him as he lets the scent fill his nostrils again and together with the thought of a shirtless Law, he feels his soaked pants getting tighter.

_Better take a cold shower…_

Quickly getting rid of his wet clothes, he steps into the spacious shower. He fumbles with the faucet for a while before he figures it out and the hot water _finally_ runs down his body. Standing under the spray for a few minutes he tries to relax, tries to let the hot water wash away the tension in his body until the stiffness leaves his sore muscles.

When he feels like a human being rather than a block of ice again he takes the shower gel on the shelf to scrub himself clean. Maybe that was a mistake because now the whole room smells so strongly like Law _,_ it’s making him dizzy.

It's all so new too him, how his body is reacting to the smallest things like a scent. Luffy never had much of a sex-drive; he rarely ever masturbated. It was just never something that he was all that much interested in. However, this all changed on the day he first met Law. Ever since that day his dreams are haunted by long tattooed fingers touching him in places where no one else has been before. The thought alone makes his skin tingle.

His body moves against his will; hands wandering over his soapy skin closer and closer to his crotch. A soft whimper leaves his lips as his small hand grips his shaft. He’s rock hard already, his body begging him for release.

 _This is so wrong,_ he thinks, and yet his hand moves up and down his length, wrist his twisting once in a while. With his thumb he strokes slowly over his sensitive tip, smearing pre-cum over it. If only it could be Law's hand instead of his own...

God this is so messed up! He shouldn’t do this. He really, really shouldn’t do this…

But he’s weak. He can’t stop himself anymore, already too far gone.

Law’s scent, his smirk, his toned chest with the thick black lines… it’s all he can think about. His head is wiped empty; there’s only Law left, taking over his senses, clouding his mind.

What would it feel like, having his big, strong hands on his thighs? Hoisting him up and pressing his lean frame against the shower wall, their naked bodies pressed flush together, wet and hot. To feel Law’s warm breath on his neck while they are rocking their hips together…

The sensitive skin of his lips almost breaks as Luffy has to bite down hard on his lower lip to prevent himself from moaning loudly. His hand flies over his cock even faster, so close to cumming with only the thought of Law’s hot body pressed against his.

Fuck, he feels like the biggest piece of shit doing this but on the other hand it feels _so good._

Did Law ever think of him while pleasuring himself? Maybe right here, where Luffy is doing the same thing right now? He sure touches himself in the shower too.

_Oh god!_

He’s so close to his orgasm, one foot already dangling over the edge, when suddenly there’s a knock on the door.

“Luffy?” comes the deep voice through the door and he has to try his hardest not to spill his seed right in this moment just from hearing his deep voice. “Can I come in for a second?”

No. Oh no! Oh god, no!

“I want to wash your clothes.”

The teen fears to open his mouth, as he is sure that what would come out would only be a desperate moan. So he stays silent.

Law seems to take this as a yes though, as the door opens the next second and soft footsteps indicate that he entered the bathroom. Luffy’s grip around his erection tightens, his other hand pressed against the tiles to stabilize himself. His teeth are sunk so deep into his lip; it wouldn’t surprise him if he'd soon see droplets of blood mixed into the water.

“Are you okay?” Law asks.

Fuck, it’s too much! Hearing Law’s voice while he has his cock in his hand… it’s just too fucking much.

“Hnn… y-yeah. T-thank you…”

His voice sounds out of breath and Luffy prays to whatever god who might hear him that Law didn’t notice.

“Alright. Take your time. I’m preparing us something warm to drink, yeah?”

Luffy croaks a small ‘yes’ as a reply and with that Law leaves the bathroom again.

As soon as the door closes the teen comes with a soft whimper, watching how the evidence of his sin gets washed down the drain.

-

“Umm… Law?”

He feels awkward walking around in a house he’s never been to before, in clothes that aren’t his.

No actually, he doesn’t really mind the clothes. Well maybe the shorts; they are way too big on him and only barely stay on his slim hips. The hoodie is great though. Completely oversized on him, basically a dress, but very comfortable.

Despite the shame he’s feeling for what he did in the shower, he was more than thrilled to pull the soft material over his head. Who wouldn’t be excited to be able to wear the clothes of their crush?

“I’m here,” yells Law and the teen follows his voice into the living room.

It’s very spacious and open, the kitchen right next to it separated from the living room with a big kitchen island. He sees how Law grabs two mugs from the cupboard before he turns around to face him.

“Is this merch from your studio?” Luffy asks with a sly, teasing smile, pointing at the sigil of the yellow hoodie.

Law eyes him up and down for a moment, biting his bottom lip. “And what if it is?” he retorts with the usual cocky smirk adorning his face.

“Then I might have to purchase one.”

Law raises a single eyebrow. “You really should. It looks good on you.”

Now it’s Luffy’s turn to quirk his eyebrow. “Yeah it maybe would. If it were to be like… ten sizes smaller.”

“Nah, I stand by what I said: it looks good on you.”

Luffy’s cheeks heat up. _Again._ This seriously needs to stop!

“Um, can I help you maybe?” he asks hastily to change the topic.

“No, I’m good.” He gestures towards the couch: “the little monster is there. I’ll be right with you.”

“Bepo?!” Luffy gasps in excitement, his face lighting up in an instant.

If Law said anything about it, Luffy wouldn’t know. He makes a beeline straight to the couch where he immediately spots the fluffy ball of white fur.

“Hi Bepo,” he whispers cautiously as to not scare him away. The cat lifts his fluffy head and blinks a few times up at him, big eyes still drowsy. He lets Luffy pet his soft fur, purring happily as he does so.

Luffy is immediately in love.

“Don’t let this fool you. He’s actually a little demon.”

He hadn’t heard Law approaching him and flinches when he hears his voice right behind him. Law chuckles lightly. “Here,” he says and Luffy turns around to face him. “I made hot chocolate.”

Luffy takes the steaming cup offered to him, enjoying how it warms his hands and how the sweet smell soothes his nerves a little bit.

He still feels terrible for what he did and he can’t really bring himself to look the older man in the eyes. It’s a shame he has to live with now, there’s nothing such as turning back time. Would Law hate him if he knew? The thought leaves him with a sour taste in his mouth; his stomach churning a little bit.

Law seems to catch on to his sudden uneasiness; he’s eyeing him with a concerned look on his face. “Is everything okay?” he asks but Luffy doesn’t really have an answer to that.

_“I just jerked off in your shower while thinking of you because you literally drive me crazy. So no, I’m not okay. I feel like the biggest piece of shit and can never again look you in the eyes.”_

Swallowing hard he instead says: “I’m fine.”

Being the shit liar that he is, Law seems to not believe a word. He only raises his eyebrows though and doesn’t press any further. “If you say so. Sit down and make yourself comfortable.”

Luffy does exactly that. The couch is very comfortable – way more so than the sad excuse of a sofa he has in his own apartment. Taking a sip of his hot chocolate he hums out a satisfied little moan and together with his hand buried in Bepo’s soft fur he feels a lot more at ease.

He feels the cushion sink down a bit from Law’s weight now on the couch and _good lord…_ he’s sitting very close.

It’s not like there isn’t a lot more space to sit on either, so the fact that their thighs are slightly brushing against each other is definitely intentional. Law does this on purpose. Fuck, he knows exactly what he’s doing to Luffy.

“Now what?” he asks and Luffy is at a loss of words.

It’s the first time they are alone together; the realization hits him like a train.

Sure they had a moment alone in his studio but not for long. The other times they saw each other Lami had been with them or their friends at the party. Always in public too. So now that they are alone in Law’s house where no one can interrupt them, he gets really nervous.

He really didn’t think this through, did he? What should they talk about to make it less awkward? Luffy is completely overwhelmed with the situation.

“Umm… I don’t know…”

“Okay so – don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind you showing up here at all – but I’m curious: what in the name of god possessed you to walk all the way here in the pouring rain?”

Luffy doesn’t have a good answer to that either so he decides to just stick to the truth. “I… I don’t know. I just wanted to see you I guess,” he says shyly, blush spreading across his nose and cheeks.

Law chuckles and smiles at him – that goddamn lopsided smile – and says, almost whispers: “Is that so?”

Their legs are pressed together now and Luffy moves away a bit to get some space between them again. He scares off Bepo in the process; the angry meow as he jumps off the couch completely lost to his ear. Only Law’s steady breath registers in his brain as he moves closer and closer.

“What’s wrong? Your face is really red.”

“I-I… you,” he stutters, “you’re… m-making me n-nervous…”

It feels like a confession and Luffy knows damn well that Law sees it as that too. There’s no turning back now.

The air feels heavy, full of energy, the tension so thick it could be cut with a knife. The butterflies in his belly are going crazy. Luffy feels like he’s going to puke soon from all the nerves upsetting his stomach. His knuckles turned white already from how hard he clutches the cushion as he waits in anticipation for what Law will do next.

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

“Y-you know why…”

The soft smile on Law’s lips sends his heart into frenzy; he thinks he will pass out soon from all the teasing.

“Mhh… maybe,” he says lowly, “but maybe I want to hear it from you.”

Oh god.

_Oh god!_

**Oh god!**

Is this really happening? This has to be a dream and Luffy will wake up at any second now.

“Law,” he breathes out. Because that’s all he can say. That’s all that is left in his head. Only _Law._

“Fuck,” Law mumbles under his breath.

He watches the teen closely as if he can find the answer to his unspoken question in the younger’s eyes; his own gold ones burning Luffy alive. It’s the sweetest death and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“Luffy... can I kiss you?”

The world stops moving around them, or at least that’s what it feels like for Luffy. Rain, thrumming against the window just a second ago, is now hanging heavy in the air; frozen in time. It’s as if all colour drained from the world completely only to zero in on Law instead. He’s glowing, his tan skin and gold eyes so vibrant, Luffy forgets how to breathe.

“Please,” he whispers. His voice is so small, he’s not even sure if Law heard it. Not when his heart is beating so loud against his ribcage.

But he did hear him.

His touch is gentle as he cups Luffy’s cheeks in his large hands. He lets his thumb wipe across his warm skin before he leans in...

People always talk about firework when they try to explain what it’s like to kiss someone you love. It’s not quite that. 

Yes sure; fireworks are exciting and fun, the lights beautiful in the night sky. But watching firework can be calm too. Soothing even.

This is different though.

More like a whole storage room set on fire with the firecrackers going off uncontrollably until everything _burns_. The flames engulf the room completely, lick into every corner. It's meltingly hot and even after everything burned to the ground and only ashes are left, it's still glowing with energy. 

It's amazing.

It's phenomenal.

It’s everything he ever wanted it to be.

Law takes his time; he moves his lips against Luffy’s slowly. They feel rough and yet so soft at the same time, warm and sweet from the chocolate.

Luffy has a hard time to keep up with Law’s experienced movements. He's unsure if he's doing it right, if it feels just as incredible for Law as it does for him.

He feels like he kisses extremly clumsily but Law lets him figure it out in his own pace. Luffy is grateful for that.

He doesn’t hurry the kiss, doesn’t try to rush it. It’s just them and their lips desperately pressed together. And it's so, so sweet.

The steady heartbeat against Luffy's fist, where he is clutching the older man’s shirt for dear life, manages to somewhat ground him and his insecurities slowly disappear the longer the kiss lasts.

And he has to do at least some things right, for the older man to let out a happy little sigh against his mouth as Luffy melts even more into the kiss.

All too soon Law pulls back. The teen mindlessly chases after his lips; craving the feeling of Law’s lips on his again, not ready to let it end just yet.

When he finally manages to open his eyes he sees Law’s gaze piercing him, pupils blown wide and almost hiding all of the gold colour Luffy loves so much.

His head is still in a daze when suddenly Law moves to pull Luffy into his lap. Luffy’s face burns as he straddles Law, even more so when he feels both of the man’s strong hands firmly gripping his waist.

“Is this okay?” he asks, his voice husky - and fuck - so incredibly sexy.

Luffy nods dumbly.

“God, you have no idea what you’re doing to me…”

The words send shockwaves through his whole body, the fine hairs on his nape standing up as a shiver runs down his spine. His hands grip Law's shirt even tighter.

“Can I kiss you again?” he whispers against his lips.

“Yes,” Luffy answers.

Because of course the answer is yes.

Kissing Law is all he ever wants to do for the rest of his life.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been 84 years... but now I'm back! 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy the new chapter!

Law's lips are soft and warm. Shiny from their spit and already a bit swollen from their passionate kisses. But most of all they are so, _so_ inviting. They taste like coffee and like rain on a warm summer evening. They taste like _home._

Addicting is what they are and it's easy to get lost in the feeling they evoke. So when Luffy opens his eyes again, it's no wonder that he feels slightly dizzy and disorientated. It takes a few seconds for his eyes to focus again and when they do they are met with Law's golden orbs. His gaze is setting Luffy's skin on fire; the stare so intense, as if he intends to devour him whole. Luffy is looking forward to it.

His brain slowly starts to catch up, slowly getting aware of his surroundings again. Where he was comfortably seated in Law's lap only a moment ago, his back is now pressed into a soft surface with Law hovering above him.

He doesn't remember how they ended up in Law's bedroom.

Not that the 'hows' and 'whys' matter anyway. What matters is that he's here with the man he desires so much. With Law, who is staring down at him with a hunger in his eyes that leaves him breathless. So full of want...

Luffy stares right back with just as much fervor.

Law is an amazing kisser, he decides. Luffy can't compare him to anyone else but he doesn't need to in the first place. He just knows. Why else would it feel so good? Why else would it send shivers up and down his spine and make his heart almost jump out of his chest every time their lips meet?

He doesn't know how much time passed since Law stole his first kiss from him: it could have been mere minutes or hours. Seconds seemed to last for hours while they explored each other's mouths and then everything happened all at one. Only faintly he recalls Law lifting him up in the air, too lost in the feeling of his lips to pay it any attention.

And now?

Now he gazes up at the older man and everything seems so unreal. But it's not, it's really happening and Luffy couldn't be happier.

But… 

There's this tiny voice in the back of his mind, the nerves pooling in his gut. How far does Law want to go? Does he want to sleep with him? Luffy is not sure if he's ready to take this step yet.

It's not even that he doesn't want to - god knows every fiber in his body yearns for Law's touch, for him to take him and make him _his._

But then there are also these thoughts of what ifs: what if he does something wrong? What if he's not good? What if, what if, what if… what if he's not _enough._

His nervousness must be clearly displayed on his face. Law reaches his hand out to him, worry in his eyes. With his thumb he slowly brushes over the scar underneath Luffy's eyes. "Hey," he mutters, voice low and soothing, "do you want to stop?"

No. No, no, _no!_

Instead of answering, he grabs Law's face with both hands and pulls him down so their lips connect again. Apparently that was enough of an answer because Law grunts hotly against his lips and closes the distance between their bodies. Now pressed flush together, Luffy panics for a second because _clearly_ Law now can feel that he's already as hard as a rock. Just from sharing a few kisses… how embarrassing.

Law isn't fazed in the slightest though. He smirks knowingly down at the teen and starts peppering his neck with featherlight kisses. And then he sinks his teeth into the sensitive flesh and _oh shit yes, yes that feels good…!_

Arousal spikes up in him, his hips buck up slightly, searching for friction. Desperate and so, so turned on. 

"Law… please…!" he breathes out. "Tattoos…"

Law grins. "You want to see my tattoos? You like them?"

And that's just to tease him. He knows damn well that Luffy _loves_ them. It's all he could think about for the past few weeks; what it would feel like to trace the black ink, how Law's tan skin would feel underneath his fingertips, how he would taste on Luffy's tongue. And now finally - fucking _finally_ \- he is allowed to do all that.

The thought alone drives him crazy. So he swallows down the lump in his throat and nods - maybe a little too desperately - tugging at the hem of Law's shirt to get his point across.

Law chuckles as he sits up. With one swift movement he pulls the unnecessary fabric over his head and tosses it carelessly onto the floor; revealing smooth, sun kissed skin with black lines on it that manage to hypnotize Luffy every goddamn time. 

It can't be. This has to be a dream.

There's no other explanation as to why there is a god in bed with him. Staring down at him as if he's about to devour his prey. Wanting him, _him_ of all the people he could have.

And fuck! Luffy wants. He wants Law to take him apart, trusts him to put him back together afterwards. He's sure that there aren't many things he wouldn't let the older man do to him. The thought is a bit scary but so exciting at the same time…

“Like what you see?” 

Smug bastard. He enjoys teasing Luffy way too much…

Ignoring his comment, Luffy reaches his hand out. When he finally comes into contact with Law’s chest it feels as if the world just stopped moving. His touch is hesitant at first, fingers cautiously running over the smooth skin. Shyly he looks up at Law, searching his face for any signs of discomfort. When he finds none he gets bolder, pressing his palm against the heated skin, feeling Law's muscles flex underneath the tender touch. He lets his fingers brush over the ink, tracing the heart shaped tattoo with his fingertips all the way down to where the lines connect just short above his navel.

Law lets him explore his body, lets him feel up his strong chest and hard abs. And Luffy takes his time doing so. His fingers wander over the tanned skin until he’s sure he has every inch memorized. His face is burning and his heart racing but _oh god_ touching Law feels _heavenly_.

When he finally pries his gaze away from Law’s chest again to look into his eyes, he finds him staring at the teen with dilated pupils. There's almost no trace of gold anymore but a deep endless black instead. He feels his heartbeat quicken at the predatory gaze but oh is he a willing prey...

"Kinda unfair," Law mutters and caresses Luffy's belly through the thick material of his hoodie. "Want to feel you too…" He twists the hem between his fingers, eyes searching for Luffy's. "Can I?" he asks, voice low and raspy. The teen gulps and nods his approval, waiting in anticipation for Law to set his skin on fire. 

Law wastes no time to slide the soft material up all the way until the hoodie touches his chin and his chest is laid bare before Law to do with it whatever he likes.

"Stop staring," Luffy mutters and hides his flustered face under his arms.

He feels Law press a soft kiss right above his belly button and can't hold back the little whimper from escaping his lips. "Sorry," he mumbles against his belly, warm breath grazing the skin. "Can't help it, you're too gorgeous." 

His heartbeat quickens at Law's words and his cheeks heat up even more. Law thinks he's gorgeous… fuck, fuck, fuck! That's… _fuck!_

Law's big hands run up and down his sides, stop shortly to stroke over his hip bones and then move up again. Deliberately he brushes his finger over Luffy's abs and hums happily. "Is it okay to touch the scar?"

And god! The way he always asks for permission, how careful he is not to overstep any boundaries: it makes Luffy's heart swell even more. Once again he nods because _shit,_ Law can do whatever he wants.

"Hey. Hey Luffy, look at me." 

But he can't. His arms are still draped over his face and he _can't!_ Because if he looks him in the eyes right now, he's sure that he will combust on the spot.

Law wants none of that though. He lifts his arms away from his face with a gentle hold on his wrist. The moment their eyes meet butterflies explode in Luffy's stomach, his whole body tingling and buzzing with nerves. 

“You’re so pretty,” Law whispers, “you really don’t know what you’re doing to me… fuck!”

Hearing Law’s rough voice, deep and husky, as if he’s having a hard time restraining himself – it’s the hottest thing Luffy has ever witnessed.

His hand trembles as he reaches out to the older man, following his urge to _feel_ him. Law takes it, guides it to his chest where he presses it flat against his heated skin. Law's heart is beating like crazy underneath the teen’s sweaty palm.

Law leans down to leave soft kisses on his neck, his hand still holding Luffy’s in place right above his racing heart. “Feel this?” he whispers, “what you’re doing to me?”

His heart skips a beat.

Or two.

Maybe three.

“How far do you want to take this Luffy,” the tattooed man asks then, his tone serious all of a sudden.

Luffy is not sure, it’s all so new to him. The only thing that he knows is that he wants-

_“Law…!”_

He all but moans his name, getting a deep growl from Law in return.

He wants to say more. Wants to tell him how much he wants him, how long he waited for this, and how much Law means to him. But he can't form words anymore. It's not necessary anyway: whatever needs to be said, they can communicate through kisses. It's the only language left in his brain and the only one he’ll ever need, from now on and forever.

Law seems to agree. He presses soft kisses on Luffy's mouth and nibbles on the swollen skin, sending thrills of excitement through his body. Suddenly Law sinks his teeth into his bottom lip and _pulls,_ making him gasp in surprise. Law takes advantage of it and slides his tongue into the teen's eager mouth, exploring him once again.

He can't help but moan into their kiss when he feels Law grind down his hips. It's only a tiny movement but more than enough for Luffy to feel the tall man's erection pressed against his inner thigh; hot and heavy, and _big._

Luffy did that. He made him hard, _shit,_ that's so hot! 

He can't think straight anymore, head feeling like mush from all the pleasure. All he can do is hold on to Law's broad shoulders tightly as their kiss turns more and more heated by the second.

Feeling Law's body so close; his bare skin, soft lips, and his large hands gripping Luffy's waist tightly; it's all so good. Arousal keeps pooling in his gut, brought to life by Law's touch, and Luffy is afraid that he will cum way too soon and into his pants like - well - like the teenager that he is.

They break the kiss and Luffy greedily sucks air into his lungs, whimpers when Law moves down to nibble at his neck. He grazes his teeth over his pulse, his tongue next and then he sucks at the skin. Luffy hopes and prays that he will leave a mark. A reminder for Luffy to admire the next few days. He needs it; otherwise he'll think it was all just a very, very good dream.

He grips Law's hair in his small hands to try and keep him there and Law growls his approval when Luffy tugs at his black locks, sucking even harder on his skin. 

Luffy almost shouts when he rocks his hips and their erections brush together. The sensation so intense and overwhelming, his whole body is shaking and trembling as wave after wave of pure pleasure wash over him.

"Fuck Luffy… do you-"

His sentence gets interrupted by a shrill sound, taking them both off guard and then Law groans. Not one of the sexy groans that will play themselves over and over in Luffy's head for days but an annoyed sound, pained almost.

"Doorbell," he explains when he sees the confused expression on the younger's face. Luffy pales instantly and only lets out a small "Oh", not wanting the moment to end just yet.

Law makes no move to get up though, instead he presses his lips on Luffy's neck again. Even more confused Luffy asks: "Do you… not want to answer it."

"No, it's not important," he mumbles between kisses. "Probably just my annoying neighbor…" 

Then it rings again. This time more aggressive, the person on the other side clearly impatient. 

Law lets out a huff, tickling the skin of Luffy's neck. He cups the older man's face and pulls his head back slightly so they can look each other in the eyes. "You should probably go see who it is. I'll wait." He smiles reassuringly and Law groans again.

Luffy gets it. He really does. He too rather wants Law to stay in bed with him, kiss him until the sun goes down and still do so when the first rays of sunshine warm their bodies the next day. Because as soon as Law rises from the bed, Luffy suddenly feels cold, misses the heat radiating from Law's skin already.

When Law reaches the door he throws a glance over his shoulder. As if to check if Luffy is still there and waiting as he promised. The teen smiles at him. Shyly and with pink cheeks, biting his lips where the taste of Law's still lingers.

Law drops his hand from the handle then and strides towards the bed again with fast steps. He takes Luffy's face in his hands and presses his lips on Luffy's. Fierce and heated. Passionate. 

The doorbell rings again.

Luffy laughs into his mouth and Law curses under his breath when he reluctantly breaks the kiss. "I'm not going anywhere," Luffy promises. Because where else would he rather be other than here in Law's bed?

That seems to do the trick. Law lets go of him again and quickly tries to tame his disheveled hair before he gives up altogether. He shrugs and smirks as if wanting to say: 'should the asshole see that I'm busy'. With one last soft smile over his shoulder he leaves the room and lets the door fall shut behind him.

Now alone in the bedroom, Luffy is left alone with his thoughts. 

This is really happening. He's here and he had his first kiss. And it was with _Law._ He can't believe it, thinks that he has to be dreaming. He brings his fingers to his lips. Touches the tingling skin where Law's lips have been just a moment ago.

He's about to sleep with Law. This is where this is all leading to isn't it? He feels nervous all over again, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. It's okay. It's Law. It's going to be okay.

It's okay to be nervous, he tells himself, it's normal. Kissing Law felt so incredibly good, Luffy is sure he can make him feel even better. He's ready. He is.

Just when he convinced himself it all comes crashing down with a single shout of:

"DADDY!"

He hears it even through the closed door and feels the colour drain from his face. Lami? No it can't be. What is she doing here?

Luffy gets up from the bed so fast he almost stumbles as he rushes towards the door. Careful, as to not make too much noise, he opens the door and peeks around the corner. And sure as hell there she is: clinging onto her father's leg and gazing up at him, giggling happily.

"Daddy I'm so happy to see you!" she shouts and Law pats her head. "I want to say hi to Bepo!" With that she lets go of his leg and storms off in the direction of the living room.

Luffy can see Monet leaned against the door frame. Law crosses his arms in front of his chest, looking pissed as he hisses: "What's this about? She's supposed to be with you until tomorrow!"

"Yeah so what? Something has come up and now I have to leave. I'm sorry that it is such an inconvenience to you to look after your daughter."

Law visibly tenses up and Luffy can't blame him. Her icy tone would get underneath everyone's skin. "You…," he starts but cuts himself off to take a deep breath. "Stop twisting my words for fucks sake! You could at least have called beforehand." 

Monet scoffs, clearly unimpressed. "Oh yes, I can see that you're busy." She shoots him one of her cold glares and continues: "Kick the bitch out. I don't want your flings around my daughter."

That hurt.

Luffy is not.. he's not _that!_

Law opens his mouth and Luffy waits with bated breath; desperate to hear Law clarify that it's _Luffy_ and not just some meaningless fling. The word feels like a stab straight through his heart. He needs to hear it from Law, needs the reassurance of his words to stitch him back together. 

If he wanted to protest, to tell Monet that she's wrong, Luffy will never know. What Law was about to say dies right on his tongue as they all get startled by a loud noise coming from the living room. It sounds like glass breaking and Monet looks alarmed immediately. Law motions for her to wait: "I'll go check on her." 

While he is gone looking after Lami, Monet waits, tapping her foot on the floor with worry clearly displayed on her face. That is until she turns her head and her gaze meets Luffy. Her expression turns sour in an instant. "Look who it is," she scoffs and Luffy feels his blood run cold at the icy glare.

Already busted, Luffy decides that he might as well walk into the lion's dent. Cautiously he approaches her and lifts his hand in greeting. "Hi." he says, because what else is there to say, really.

She eyes him up and down, her face twisted in what Luffy only can describe as disgust. He gets painfully aware of the fact that he's still wearing Law's clothes as she raises her eyebrows at him.

"So it's you."

It sounds like an accusation and Luffy honestly doesn't know what to say to that. He doesn't need to in the first place because she clearly hasn't said her piece yet. "So you finally gave in huh? Already tired of playing hard to get? Honestly I can't say I'm surprised."

How dare she talk to him like that?! She got it all wrong! That's not how it is…

"It isn't like that!" Even to his own ears he sounds way too defensive and she clearly thinks so too. The smile creeping up on her face is sickening.

"It isn't?"

"It's not… it's not like that!" 

The smile drops from her face and gets replaced by a look of pity. Luffy hates that even more. "Oh you poor thing. You really believe this, don't you? What lies did he tell you to make you think that you're more than just his boy toy?" 

Luffy pales. Every word feels like a punch to his gut and she is still not done. Far from it.

"That's normally not his style. He's pretty straight forward in telling his bitches that they are… well, just that. You must have made it pretty hard for him then. So what is it? Did he promise you a nice picket fence life?"

Luffy clenches his fists, knuckles already turning white. "He didn't make any promises!"

That's right. He didn't. Law never promised him anything. The realization slowly sinks in and he shakes his head frantically, trying to shake off the thoughts that start to make themselves comfortable inside his mind. "It's not like that," he tries again and doesn't even believe his own words anymore.

But Law wouldn't do this to him! He clings onto that hope. Law wouldn't. He wouldn't!

"You are greatly mistaken if you really think that he cares about more than your body. Law isn't exactly the type for a serious relationship."

At that, anger rises up inside him. What does she know anyway?! 

Except… it's Law's ex he's talking to. If anyone knows then it's her. And Luffy… Luffy realizes that he knows nothing about Law. Nothing at all.

"Listen," she continues, not caring in the slightest that she's crashing all his hopes and dreams. "Law never was in a serious relationship after we broke up. And even that was… we really only tried because I got pregnant. He's not the type to be in a committed relationship and that's a fact. I witnessed him breaking more than just a couple hearts in the past few years."

Why is Law not back already?! He should be here by Luffy's side and stand up for him. For them.

But, Luffy realizes, that's just wishful thinking. Like it all had been from the beginning... 

"I told you to stay away from my daughter for a reason." She sighs and brushes her fingers through her long, green locks. "You're so young. Hell, you're barely legal. What do you have to offer other than a pretty face?"

Luffy feels his heart crumble. That hits all his insecurities, cuts deeper than any knife ever could. She's right. And it hurts so much but she's right. He doesn't have anything to offer.

"But you're not the only boy with a pretty face and soon Law will get tired of you after you warmed his bed a few times."

All protest dies right on his tongue. There's nothing he could retort to that. He almost wants to laugh, laugh full of bitterness and sorrow, but that dies right in his throat too. His throat that feels way too tight, tied up by the invisible string created from Monet's cold words.

“You do know that he has some girls on the side, yeah? One of them happens to be a friend of one of my best friends. Heard that they fooled around not too long ago. I believe that was when you two already had started your little-” she raises her eyebrows and forms quotation marks with her finger, “-mating dance.”

 _Lies._ She’s lying! Has to be. There’s no way Law had sex with someone; not when for Luffy the older man was all he could think about…

 _Guess Law didn’t feel like that at all,_ he thinks bitterly, trying his hardest to fight back the tears that threaten to spill from his eyes. 

Even more so when he hears the voice that instead of making his heart flutter, now causes his stomach to sink. "It was just a mug that fell from the table," Law explains as he approaches them. "Don't worry, she's fine."

"It was Bepo!" comes the voice from the little girl before she meekly adds: "Okay it was me. But it was an accident!" Only then she notices Luffy, her face lighting up in an instant. "LUFFY! I didn't know you were here!"

He almost breaks then and there, when she throws her short arms around him. Breathes out shakily before trying his best to smile at her. It's a pained grimace at best but she doesn't seem to notice, hugs his leg even tighter.

Monet clears her throat. "Alright sweetie, Mommy has to leave now. Be good and don't cause your father too much trouble yeah?" 

She lets go of Luffy then to hug her mother tightly instead. "Bye Mommy, I love you."

"I love you too Baby. Law," she nods at her ex before turning to Luffy. "Luffy." The message in her glare is loud and clear: get out, get away from my daughter. Don't get too attached, you're only going to hurt yourself.

But it's already too late for that.

Maybe she knows. Sees it in his face; the wound she opened. Not that she cares anyway. She'll gladly twist the knife and sprinkle some salt in it too.

Law looks uncomfortable when the door closes behind her. He rubs his temple as he addresses the teen: "I'm sorry Luffy. I didn't know…"

There's no need to be sorry. He didn't do anything wrong. Luffy doesn't blame him. He's the dumb one. He's the one that got his hopes up, thinking that he could have this, that he could be a part of this family.

What happened? What the fuck happened?

They were so close just a moment ago and now he feels so far away and out of Law's reach. And it _hurts._ It hurts so fucking bad, Luffy feels like his whole world has been turned upsidedown in the span of mere minutes and he can't… he just fucking can't!

But not Law's. No, Law's world is still the same, earth spinning like it always does with everything perfectly in place. He has his neat house, his running business and his daughter and a cat and everything he needs. So what is Luffy to him in the bigger picture? Just some random boy appearing in his life out of nowhere and disappearing again without so much as leaving a trace.

He feels sick.

"-uffy? Luffy?"

"Huh?" He snaps out of his daze and back into reality, realizing that he's still here, here at the front door of the home that never will be his. The family that never will be his. 

"I asked if I should make something for dinner."

"You stay for dinner, right Luffy? Daddy makes the best Pasta!" 

"No umm… actually I… actually I think I should go now."

Law looks at him with so much concern in his eyes that it rips Luffy's heart to shreds some more. "Luffy, is everything okay?" There's a hint of panic in his voice that doesn't make any sense to Luffy but he can't think clearly anyway. Right now nothing makes sense anymore.

"No. I mean yes, everything's fine. I just," he stutters and stumbles over his words while he hurriedly puts his shoes on. He can't stand being near Law for even a second longer. "I just really should go home now. Yeah I… umm sorry for just showing up here randomly. And thanks for… you know…"

Law looks like he just tasted something sour, face twisting and eyes almost pleading. "At least let me drive you home. It's still raining…" 

Luffy is grateful for the offer, really. But there's a million places Luffy wants to be now: alone in the car with Law is not one of them.

He would ask him about his weird behaviour, Luffy is sure. Then he would have to explain that he thought - god - that he thought that maybe Law felt the same way about him. And then Law would shoot him down, crush his hopes completely. Not that there's any hope left in the first place but hearing it out of Law's mouth - he's not ready for that. Not now and never will be.

So he declines the offer, mutters an apology to Lami who just stares at him with big, sad eyes and waves them goodbye.

Law calls after him, a desperate shout of his name. Luffy ignores it.

He takes one last glance over his shoulder. Sees Law standing in the door, illuminated by the light coming from inside the house. Warm and inviting.

But Luffy stands on the other side where it's dark and cold. It feels like they are worlds apart. Luffy's heart sinks in his chest.

The door closes.

-

When he steps inside his shitty apartment he feels drained. Emotionally and physically, like all strength left his body. He's soaked to the skin, the cold seeping into his bones. Not like he really feels it though.

He all but ran home, seeking the comfort of his apartment. But even now, back in his own space, he feels lost. Like he doesn't belong here. 

He looks down at himself. Gets lost in the drops of water that drip down his shaking body and into the puddle that already formed at his feet.

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip._

He should move. Take off the drenched clothes and take a hot shower. But he remains frozen on the spot with the door still left open behind him, the cold air making him shudder.

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip._

The bright yellow of the hoodie hurts his eyes. Hurts his heart. It clenches painfully when he brushes his fingers over the wet fabric. 

He should have changed back into his own clothes before he left. 

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip._

Taking a deep breath, he finally turns to close the door. Now there is no more cold air entering the apartment, yet it's still freezing. And isn't that just fitting? It's like the weather changed with his mood: where there only was sunshine the past few weeks is now cold, harsh rain and rumbling thunder. Just like the turmoil inside his head.

With the back of his hand he wipes the mix of rain and tears from his cheeks. Only that his hand is just as wet and all was for nothing. _All was for fucking nothing!_

He steps inside his small bathroom, flips on the light and turns on the shower. While he waits for the water to get warm he strips the clothes from his body, tosses them onto the floor as if touching them just burnt his skin.

Too weak to stand, he instead sits in the shower and lets the warm water rain down on him.

The warmth slowly flowing back into his body feels like a deja vu. His thoughts start to drift under the hot spray.

Maybe, he thinks, maybe he's being overly dramatic. Talking to Law seems like the sensible thing to do in this situation instead of moping on the floor of his shower while the water slowly turns cold again. The thing is, though, Luffy is no good with talking. Never was. Especially not when it comes to Law.

He's no good with _anything_ when it comes to Law.

And how would that conversation even go?

_Hey, so you kissed me and it was awesome but now I kinda want to know if you just want sex._

Yeah. No.

Law sure wasted no time to get him into his bedroom. Luffy might not know much about relationships but even to him it's clear that this isn't how things go when you try to date someone.

It's his own fault though. He should have stopped the older man. Should have asked him to take it slow. Maybe ask him out on a real date. A fancy dinner maybe or whatever it is that people do on dates. 

God, he hates himself so much for how he's acting as if the world just ended. But it kinda did, at least for Luffy that's what it feels like.

Monet's words got under his skin. Hit all his insecurities and doubts dead on. The worries that were in him from the beginning but buried so deep under his lovesickness; she took the shovel and dug them right out.

_What do you have to offer?_

Nothing.

The answer is nothing.

He's just a stupid teenager with nothing to his name, not knowing what he wants from life yet when Law on the other hand has it all figured out already. 

Fuck, he's so stupid. So goddamn stupid for even thinking that there might be a future for him together with Law.

So yeah, he might have overreacted. He could have handled the situation better. Thinking before acting though, that was never his strong suit.

It only further proves how little chances he has with a man like Law. 

Law would have handled it like it's expected from an adult; he would have talked about it. But Luffy ran away, too overwhelmed by his strong emotions and too scared of getting hurt.

The longer the cold water runs down his body, the more he realizes that he probably made everything so much worse by running away.

He has to confront Law, he knows that. There's no way around it. He can no longer pretend that they're just friends. Friends don't kiss each other in the way they did. 

Luffy dreads the moment where he will have to confess his feelings to the older man. But it has to be done. And if Law rejects him… then he will have to live with it. Maybe they even could stay friends. The thought hurts because deep down Luffy knows that being friends will never be enough for him.

Hell for a moment Luffy even thinks about agreeing to a friends with benefits kinda thing. He discards the thought as quickly as it crossed his mind though. It would destroy him, slowly but surely.

He shivers. The cold water becomes unbearable and Luffy quickly gets out of the shower to wrap a fluffy towel around his quivering body. He steps over the hoodie and feels his heart clenching all over again.

After putting on some comfy and warm clothes he walks to the front door again where his backpack still lies in the puddle. If not for his own clothes he at least thought about grabbing the rest of his belongings before he rushed out of Law's home. He fishes his phone out and sees ten missed calls from Law and a new message.

With trembling fingers he unlocks the screen to open it:

**Message from Law**

_Luffy I'm so sorry. Did you get home safe? Please call me back as soon as you can. I'm worried._

His stomach churns as he reads the message over and over again. He's sorry? What for? Does Law regret kissing him already?

Luffy doesn't want him to worry, of course not, but he can't handle this right now. It's too much. Instead of texting back, he tosses his phone onto his bed. All he wants to do now is cry himself to sleep. And when he wakes up in the morning he will gather all his courage and talk to him. For now though, it's still too fresh, his thoughts all over the place.

He eyes his bed for a second. His body is sore, aching to snuggle up underneath the thick blanket. He crawls into bed and pulls the covers all the way up to his chin. The shivering doesn't stop for a long time as he tosses and turns. 

Sleep won't come to him in a bed that feels way too empty and cold; now that he knows what it's like to share warmth with another body pressed close to his.

With a drawn out groan he gets out of bed and quickly makes his way into the bathroom again. In the dark he has to blindly feel around before his hand finally grips what he was searching for. 

He rushes back to bed then, his body yelling at him to get under the warm blanket again.

Little sniffles break the silence once in a while as he quietly sobs into his pillow. Eventually all strength leaves him, body and mind too exhausted to stay awake. With dried tears on his face and the damp, yellow fabric pressed close to his heart, he finally drifts off into a restless sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

"You look like shit."

Law grunts at the comment. That's certainly not what he wanted to hear first thing in the morning. He closes the door to his studio behind him and turns around to glare at his so-called 'friend'. Shachi on the other hand seems to be utterly unimpressed. He has his arms crossed in front of his chest and his eyebrows raised high. 

"Wow thanks," Law mutters, "it's good to see you too."

He's right though and Law knows it; he _does_ look like shit. That's just what a sleepless night does to you.

"No offense dude," Penguin now pipes in, "normally you manage to pull off the 'I never sleep and function on coffee and spite alone'-look. But now you look like someone died- shit! Did someone die?!"

Law looks at them with a blank expression. "No but there might be news tomorrow that two idiots were found dead in a tattoo studio, if you don't shut up." He runs his hand through his hair and sighs. Walking past his friends, Law makes his way over to the coffee maker. Shitty coffee is not really what he wants right now but it's better than no coffee at all. And stopping at the Pinwheel was not really an option. Not after what happened yesterday…

"Are you two done with insulting me now? I'm not really in the mood."

Shachi clicks his tongue. "Want to tell us what happened to you maybe?"

Does he want to tell them? Sure, they are his best friends, and Law kind of wants to talk about it but… just thinking about it causes his stomach to churn uncomfortably. He lets out a shaky breath. It's no use anyway; knowing them, they won't drop the topic anytime soon.

"Luffy came over yesterday…"

Penguin's eyes light up immediately. "Oh. _Oh!_ So it's that kind of exhaustion then? Congrats dude-"

"Shut up Peng," Law sneers. "It's not like that…" God, he wishes Peng was right. And it all started so perfect too, but: "I fucked up. I fucked up bad."

He takes his freshly brewed coffee and slumps down on one of the leather chairs, burying his face in his hands. 

Shachi makes a sound in the back of his throat. When Law glances at him through his fingers, he sees confusion written all over the redhead's face. "Okay? Elaborate please." 

Penguin sits down on the armrest next to Law and pats his back. "Did you not satisfy him? It's okay dude, it happens to the best."

"Fuck off Peng!" Law pushes him off the chair, glaring daggers at him.

"It's not funny okay? I fucked up really bad. I- I ruined everything!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry. Then what is it? What happened?"

Yeah that's a great question; what the fuck happened? How is he supposed to explain the tension between him and Luffy? How everything felt so right. So goddamn cliche but fuck, it felt like every description in every cheesy romance novel; with sparks and butterflies and whatnot.

"We kissed," is what he says instead.

Silence spreads through the room and Law's heart sinks at the memory. 

Shachi and Penguin exchange a look and then Shachi speaks up: "Okay? I mean that's good, isn't it? Was it not good?"

"No it was…" Law shakes his head. He thinks back to their first kiss and how soft Luffy's lips felt. How eager he kissed back and how right his small body felt in Law's arms. "...it was perfect."

It really was. Fuck! It really was perfect. Kissing never felt so good, so _right,_ not even with Monet. And definitely not with anyone that came after her. 

For the first time in years - no, for the first time ever - Law really felt something. Something so strong, it can't even be put into words. Luffy is all he ever wanted. And he was so close too; the happy ever after already within reach, only for Law to fuck it all up...

He should have known better; should know by now that real life is not a fairy tale.

Shachi clears his throat. "So… did you sleep with him?" 

"No," Law answers, head hanging low. "Almost. I don't know. It was not my intention to have sex with him, really. But I took it too far and now he probably hates me…"

"Why do you think that?"

Law sighs heavily. Then he starts to explain. He tells them that they ended up in his bedroom, and how Monet interrupted them. How after that, Luffy all but ran from him without ever doing so much as looking back. 

"He didn't even answer my calls. Hell, I don't even know if he got home safe…"

Penguin sits down on the chair across from Law's while Shachi paces up and down the room. "Look man," the redhead says, "I have no fucking clue why he acted that way but… I mean he clearly wanted to fool around too. It's not like you forced him or anything."

"I don't know." Law sighs. "It was probably all too much for him. It was his first kiss and… what if he was afraid to say no? What if he just didn't want to disappoint me or something. Monet showing up probably was his saving grace. The perfect opportunity for him to get the hell away from me without having to tell me that he doesn't want any of this..." Shaking his head in disbelief, he lets out a humorless laugh. "I'm so fucking stupid!"

A wave of dread overcomes him. Thinking that he did something Luffy didn't want, it's making him feel sick to his stomach.

"It really wasn't my intention to sleep with him…" Law mutters more to himself, not even caring if they heard him.

It's the truth, he didn't plan to take it this far. It's just that apparently all his self-control flew right out the goddamn window, the moment their lips met.

He's normally not like that at all. And yes, he wants Luffy. He _really_ wants Luffy. But that's no excuse for his behavior. Law moved way too fast, that's for sure, and now he probably scared the poor boy off for good.

After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Penguin speaks up: "Is he working today?"

"I don't know. I think so, why?"

"Alright man listen, first appointment for today is um," he takes a glance at the watch on his wrist, "in about an hour. Why don't you go grab a coffee first?"

Law vigorously shakes his head. "No way."

It's not like he doesn't want to see Luffy but he's pretty sure that Luffy doesn't want to see _him._

"I need to work on some designs and we have to-"

"Bullshit!" Shachi cuts him off. "You can do that later. Man, you have to talk to him at some point. Or what? Do you just want to pretend like nothing ever happened and move on with your life as if you two never met? No way. We, as your friends, can't let that happen!"

Penguin nods. "Exactly. Now get your ass out of here and only come back after you cleared things up."

Reluctantly Law gets up from his seat, only to be shoved towards the door by his friends. "Alright, alright," he snaps, "I'm going! Gee, you're both fucking annoying as hell."

"You love us," Penguin states as he opens the door for him and Shachi gives him one last shove. "Good luck with making up and hopefully making out."

Law grumbles and flips them the bird. They snicker, slamming the door shut right in front of his face. And like that he was just thrown out of his own damn studio.

Peachy.

-

His palms feel sweaty and his heart is racing. It doesn't happen often that Trafalgar Law gets nervous. Now though, now he would like to just crawl into a hole and never come out again.

 _Get it together Trafalgar,_ he curses himself and turns the doorknob. The familiar sound of the doorbell chimes as he steps inside the café. His stomach grumbles angrily as the sweet smell of pastries fills his nostril, reminding him that he hasn't eaten anything yet.

His eyes wander around in search of a familiar head with unruly black hair. He's nowhere to be found though, and Law's heart sinks just the slightest bit.

Nami, who has already spotted him, waves at him with a small smile on her lips. She doesn't look like she's about to gut him, so that's a good sign, Law supposes. Probably. Maybe.

"Hey." He lifts his hand in greeting as he approaches the woman behind the counter.

"Hi Law. How are you? Need your daily dose of caffeine?"

"Yes umm…" He can't really focus on what Nami is saying. Assuming she asked if he wants his usual order, Law absentmindedly nods his head, still trying to find any signs that the teen might be here.

After a short moment Law realizes that Nami isn't talking anymore. She doesn't work on his coffee either and instead only stares at him expectantly. 

Law feels more awkward by the second so he decides to just get it over with. 

"Say… is Luffy here?"

Nami looks at him as if he just grew another head. "Yes? He's helping my mom in the back. I just asked you if I should go get him. Are you okay? You seem a bit out of it today…"

"Oh um sorry. Yeah can you get him please?"

She eyes him suspiciously but nods and walks towards the kitchen. Just before she reaches the door, she turns on her heels and walks back towards Law with an unreadable expression on her face. His skin crawls uncomfortably.

"Say, did something happen between you two?" she asks. "Luffy is… he's not okay. He tries to hide it but I can tell. He won't tell me anything though."

Law swallows hard but the lump in his throat won't go away. "Can I just talk to him," he croaks. "Please?"

"Alright," Nami sighs. "I'll go get him…"

Once again she turns around and disappears into the kitchen.

Taking a few labored breaths, Law tries to calm himself down. His mind is racing a mile per second. What is he even going to say? _"Hey Luffy, sorry about yesterday. I'm actually not a creep so give me a second chance maybe?"_

Yeah, that sounds good.

 _Fantastic,_ really.

He feels like he's going insane, feels like if he has to wait even a second longer he might actually lose his goddamn mind. It's so unlike him, and he's bothered by it. 

Screw Luffy! Screw him for getting under Law's skin like this!

 _It's going to be okay,_ he tells himself, _just talk to him and everything will be fine._

Or he could just choose the cowardly way; dash out of this goddamn café and never look back.

That actually doesn't sound too bad right now.

He never gets the chance though. The doorbell chimes loudly, and with it an all too familiar voice calls out his name.

There is no time for him to react and he already has two arms around his neck, pressing him tightly against a soft body.

God hates him. That's the only explanation for all of this. 

He tried to be a good fucking human all his life. Yes, he might have taken a few wrong turns here and there but fuck - god knows he tries! And yet he keeps getting punished for whatever reason.

"Law it's so good to see you!" Bonney squeals right into his ear, hugging him even tighter, as if trying to squeeze the goddamn life out of him.

The timing couldn't be worse.

Finally the grip around his neck loosens, giving Law the opportunity to free himself from the embrace.

The sound of a door falling shut causes him to turn his head towards the counter, where his gaze meets a pair of brown eyes. They look dull. So different from how they usually shine with a warmth that always manages to turn his legs into jelly.

Bonney still clings onto his arm. He wants to shake her off but he's frozen on the spot. "Law, how are you? You haven't even called once after our little… meet-up last time. That's not very nice of you, you know?" Her tone is accusing but playful, and Law desperately wants her to just. Shut. The. Hell. Up!

His eyes are still locked with Luffy's. The look on the teen's face shatters his heart into a million pieces. His eyes are red and puffy, Law notices, and there is no trace left of the sunshine smile that he loves so dearly.

"Law? Law! Are you ignoring me?"

"What?" Law turns around to face Bonney. "No. I'm- Bonney this is not the right time. I-" He frees his arm from her grip, but when he turns around again it's already too late and Luffy is gone.

Bile rises in his throat, his head feels dizzy. This is not how it was supposed to be; Luffy shouldn't be sad. Not because of _him._ Not _ever!_

Only now he notices Nami walking towards him with fast steps. She looks furious.

"I have no idea what's going on here but you should leave." Her eyes dart over to Bonney, the scowl on her face deepening. "Both of you."

"Excuse me?" Bonney protests, "that's not how you treat a customer!"

"Bonney for the love of god, just shut up!" He turns to the redhead and pleads: "Nami, I need to talk to him. Please! Five minutes and then I'll leave him alone, I swear."

Nami considers it for a few seconds but then shakes her head with a sigh. "Listen Law, I don't know what you did, but clearly Luffy doesn't want to see you right now. Please respect that."

His shoulders slump and he lowers his head in defeat. "Alright...yeah. Please at least tell him to call me, can you do that for me? It's really important."

Nami flicks her long, wavy hair behind her shoulder as she mulls it over. "Alright," she finally agrees, despite the hard look in her eyes.

"Uh sorry to butt in, but I'd still like to get a coffee-"

Law groans and grabs Bonney by her arm to drag her outside, completely ignoring her protests. "Care to explain?" she snaps as soon as the door falls shut behind them. Law opens his mouth to explain but gets rudely interrupted by a loud rumble in the sky.

When he looks up, he finds that the blue sky from before is now completely black, and the first few raindrops are hitting his face. It doesn't take long for the drizzle to turn into a wall of water, soaking them to the bones within seconds, flooding the streets. 

When it rains it pours. Now even literally. And isn't that just too funny? Just a big 'fuck you' from above, as if this day really had to get any worse. Law doesn't know if he wants to laugh or cry. Probably both.

Just when exactly did his life turn into a shitty movie?

Seriously; he feels like he's stuck in a bad rom-com. Only that he fucked over the romance already and no one is laughing either. One out of five stars rating. Would never recommend and he wants his fucking money back!

"Oh god, seriously?!" Bonney yells, the heavy patter of the rain almost drowning out her voice completely. "I walked here goddamnit, the forecast said nothing about rain for fucks sake!"

Thank god Law didn't feel like walking here, even though it's just a five minutes distance from his studio to the Pinwheel. The only good thing happening today so far…

He wordlessly points to his Audi that is parked right across the street and they both make a run for it. 

Finally in the shelter of his car, Law smashes his head down on the steering wheel, exhaling a shaky breath. He doesn't even have the energy to care about the leather seats getting wet, he just feels drained.

"You owe me a coffee." Bonney huffs out a breath and brushes a wet strand of hair out of her face. "You know. The coffee I could be drinking now. Dry and cozy in one of those fancy lounges in this fucking café."

Law lets her throw her fit without interrupting. This is already the worst day he's had in years; Bonney bitching at him or not. So what does it even matter?

"But nooo, I'm here now; dripping wet and freezing my ass off. Do you even- Law are you okay?" 

She must have noticed the state he's currently in, her voice getting softer as she gently places her hand on his back. "Hey, you're not crying, are you?"

Is he? His face is wet but he honestly can't even tell if it's rain or tears. But his eyes sting and he can feel a headache coming.

"Law, talk to me. Did something happen?"

He's doesn't really want to talk about his love life - especially not with his fuckbuddy, out of all people. On the other hand, he kinda could need getting comforted now. And he's known Bonney for years; he trusts her. So he swallows down the lump in his throat and nods.

"Is it bad?" 

Again a nod.

"What is it? C'mon Law, you can talk to me." She sounds concerned now and Law doesn't blame her. It's rare for him to break down like this. In fact - now that he thinks about it - she's definitely never seen him like this. Not many people have.

"It's the worst." He turns to face her; her wide eyes on him, urging him to go on. "I'm in love."

Yes. Truly the worst.

-

"You should go home."

Shachi's nagging only manages to worsen his mood but Law tries to pay him no mind and continues to scribble in his sketchbook. He curses loudly, ripping the whole page out before crumbling it in his fist and tossing it across the room.

"No seriously," Shachi presses, "you should go home. You almost messed up the tattoo of that sweet girl from earlier. Do you want us to get sued?"

He pulls on his hair in an exasperated manner before glaring at his friend. " _Almost_ is the keyword here. It's fine. I'm fine."

He's not, and they all know it. But what is he supposed to do? What kind of Boss is he, leaving his employees on their own for several hours?

Right after dropping off Bonney with the promise of grabbing a coffee soon, he went home to take a hot shower and change into a new set of dry clothes. And instead of heading straight to work after that, he just… sat there on his couch, doing nothing, for an hour at least; trying to calm down his racing heart and mind. With little to no success at that.

"I need to keep myself busy," he argues. "Or else my thoughts just keep wandering back to…" 

Luffy.

Fuck, he can't even say his name. 

"I get that you need distraction. But you can't focus enough to put permanent ink on someone's skin right now." Penguin has a point, Law has to admit. "We already called in Ikkaku so it's fine. Go home and read a book or whatever."

The weather hasn't calmed down at all, huge raindrops hitting against the windows, the hammering sound of it only occasionally drowned out by the roaring of the sky. He turns his head to look out to the street.

Everything looks grey and depressing, the sun hidden behind thick, black storm clouds. What he wouldn't give for a few rays to peek through the haze to warm his skin, or a smile - brighter than the sun - to warm his heart…

His golden eyes are fixated on a puddle that formed on the asphalt, but he's not looking at anything at all. Not really.

Shachi and Penguin are right. Maybe he should head home and try to get some sleep.

He's about to give in and call it a day when suddenly his phone starts ringing. His heart skips a beat. Could it be…? After all, Nami promised to tell Luffy that he should call him later. She clearly saw the desperation on his features so maybe she convinced him? Law swallows around the lump in his throat, feeling hope flare up inside him. This could be his last chance to make things right…

It's Monet.

"What do you want?" Law doesn't even try to hide his disappointment when he answers the call. His ex is the last person he wants to talk to right now and judging from how she clicks her tongue, she could clearly hear it in his voice too.

"That's one way to greet the mother of your daughter." She sounds like she's in a hurry so her tone lacks the usual bite, but it's enough to sour his mood even further.

"Hello Monet," he says in a fake-friendly way, then he adds more dryly: "what do you want?" 

He hears the clacking of her heels through the speaker, various voices chattering in the background. "I got called into a meeting and I don't know if I will make it out on time. Could you go and pick up Lami from school? I really don't know if-"

"Yeah sure," he interrupts her, agreeing easily. Monet makes a surprised noise, sounding almost disappointed that she didn't get the chance to yell at him. That's just how lovely she is…

"Alright then. See you later."

He ends the call without another word and pinches the bridge of his nose, letting out an exasperated sigh. It's not like he can't feel his friends' curious glances, it's just that he decides to ignore them. Instead he gets up and grabs his sketchbook, fumbling around in his pockets for his keys.

"You are right. I'm going home. Try to get some sleep." He finally turns to look at them and instantly regrets it when he sees their shit-eating grins. "Fine," he sighs, "I owe you guys…"

"That's what we wanted to hear!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Tell Ikkaku thank you, I owe her too."

"Will do. Oh and Law." He nods at Shachi, signaling for him to continue. "It's going to be alright, I'm sure."

"Shachi's right," Penguin agrees triumphantly, as if it's something new that the both of them share one single brain cell. He smiles slyly at Law: "you know, if you really want that boy then maybe you should take fate into your own hands. It's not like you to just sit around and brood."

Shachi looks at him funny. "What are you talking about? That's exactly like him- oof!"

"Will you shut up," Penguin snarls and nudges the redhead with his elbow. 

"Alright," Law says, ignoring their bickering. He shakes his head affectionately and tries to suppress the soft smile that's playing around his lips. "I'm heading out."

When he closes the door behind him, he takes a deep breath. His friends are right: Law won't give Luffy up without a fight. Right then and there, in the pouring rain on the steps in front of his tattoo parlor, Law makes up his mind. He never wanted anyone as badly as he wants Luffy, and he will be damned if he doesn't do everything he can to get him.

With new determination, Law lets his golden eyes wander skywards, surprised to find that the heavy clouds have lifted just the slightest bit, allowing a glowing ray of sunlight to break through and shine down on his face. 

-

Hugging his baby girl close to his chest, Law feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. It's as if for the first time today he can finally breathe again. And even though he's going to drop her off at Monet's right away, he's glad that he got to see the little monster on this depressing day. Lami's toothy grin and sparkling hazel eyes ease his troubled soul like no one else could. 

He takes her backpack and throws it over his shoulder, then proceeds to pick her up in his arms so she can be fully under the shelter of the umbrella he's clutching tightly in his right hand.

"Did you have a good day, Pumpkin?" He asks and smiles when she giggles happily.

"Daddy don't be silly. I had class until now, it was sooo boring!"

Law hums in response. "Is that so? Well now school is over, but I'm guessing you still have a lot of boring homework to do."

"Daddy," she pouts, swatting him on the chest lightly, "don't remind me! Homework is the worst!"

He chuckles at her whining. "Yeah but you-"

"I have to do it, I know…"

Opening the door to the backseat for Lami, he rushes her to get inside. Once her seatbelt has been fastened and Law has made sure that she's secured, he hurries to the driver's seat, managing to get in the car at least somewhat dry.

The ride to Monet's house goes suspiciously quiet. Where normally Lami would chew his ear off, babbling on about everything and nothing at once, there is now only an awkward silence in the car. He wants to ask her if something is wrong but she beats him to it.

"Are you tired daddy?"

Law meets her gaze in the rear-view mirror and lets out a shallow breath. "Is it the dark circles that gave me away?" He says jokingly but Lami only looks at him with a serious expression that looks completely out of place on her young face.

"You always tell me that sleep is important," she says in an accusing tone, then adding under her breath: "adults are stupid…"

Law pretends he didn't hear anything but he can't help the grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "It's okay Princess," he reassures, "it was just a long day."

"If you say so…"

With that the conversation ends. Lami turns her head to look out the window, trailing the drops that are running down the glass with her eyes.

After a while, she breaks the silence again. "Are we going home to mommy?"

"Yes of course. Your mom texted me that she's home when I arrived at your school."

"Oh."

She sounds disappointed.

Law furrows his brows in confusion. "Why?"

"...I was hoping we could go see Luffy first."

His heart skips a beat at the mention of Luffy's name. Clutching the steering wheel tightly, Law shoots her a look over his shoulder. "Lami…"

"I'm just still so sad that he didn't stay for dinner yesterday," she sniffles quietly.

"I know Pumpkin, I told you he was busy… Maybe next time he will stay-" he swallows down the _'preferably forever'_ that got dangerously close to escaping from the tip of his tongue, "-for dinner."

He sees Lami nod her head through the mirror, her eyes still glued to the window. "I think mommy doesn't like him."

Her words cause him to flinch. Completely taken aback, his eyes widen as he tries his best to keep his focus on the road. "Why do you say that?" Law inquires, a little breathless.

"Dunno. She looks at him like she looks at me when I've done something bad…"

Law feels a sense of unease wash over him, his stomach churning uncomfortably. His mouth suddenly feels dry, and the gears in his head start turning. It doesn't take long after that for things to click together.

_Monet._

Anger courses through his veins like electricity, leaving him on edge. If it weren't for his daughter in the backseat, Law would probably slam his foot down on the gas to get to his destination as fast as possible. He has a thing or two to ask of his _lovely_ ex and if his suspicions turn out to be true, then he honestly doesn't know how he's going to react. Luckily Monet's house is already in sight after the next turn and there's no need to endanger his or his daughter's safety. 

When he exits the car he slams the door shut a little too forcefully, but fuck he can't help it. His blood is boiling and even though he tries his hardest to stay calm, he can clearly see it on Lami's face that she noticed his shift in mood.

Taking her small hand, Law gives it a light reassuring squeeze and together they walk up to the porch where Law rings the doorbell after taking a few labored breaths. And if he rings it two or three times more than necessary then who the fuck can blame him.

Monet opens the door seconds later. She's still wearing her work clothes; a midnight blue dress suit with a white shirt underneath, her bright green hair in a tight bun behind her head. Not many people can pull off green hair like she does and still look professional, Law has to admit. However, now is definitely not the time to compliment the woman he spent all of his teenage years and a huge portion of his adult life with. 

She crouches down to kiss Lami's cheek in greeting, happy to see her daughter. Her smile falls from her lips as soon as her eyes meet Law's.

"We need to talk," is all he says.

"Lami go to your room please. You can play on your console for a bit but after that we're doing your homework, okay?"

The little girl looks at her parents with a frown on her face, her bottom lip sucked in between her teeth. "Okay," she mumbles, "bye daddy, I love you…"

Law ruffles her hair. "I love you too Pumpkin." After he made sure that she's out of earshot, he turns to Monet with a glare. She has her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised, looking at him expectantly.

"What is-"

"Did you say something to Luffy?" 

The venom in his voice catches her off guard; she takes a step back out of pure instinct, a startled look on her flawless face. Law knows he can be intimidating but right now he can't find it in him to feel sorry. He wants answers and he wants them _now!_

It doesn't take long for her to regain her composure again though, and so she glares at him, a cocky smile grazing her lips. "Yeah I did," she says, the proud tone in her voice making Law's blood boil even more. "I told him the truth about you."

"The truth," Law snarls through gritted teeth, "and what exactly is the truth?"

"The truth is that you pounce on everyone with a pretty face." She brushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear and stands up a little straighter, not cowering underneath his hostile gaze. "You never cared to tell him about that, did you? About the fuckbuddies you have on the side? So I did."

Law is seething. Now Luffy's behavior makes so much more sense, and it's all her fault. 

"You had no right, _no right-"_

She looks unimpressed. "I normally don't care about your mess of a love life but this time you went too far and dragged our daughter into it. Do you even realize how attached to your little slut she already is?"

"Don't you _ever_ call him that again-"

"And when you've had your fun and are done with him; after you fucked him over, how well do you think she would take that huh? Did that occur to you for even a second or is it your dick that does all your thinking-"

She's not done with her tirade yet but Law has had enough. He slams his fist against the doorframe and yells: "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Law doesn't raise his voice often, rarely ever loses his cool, but enough is enough and Law won't let her talk about Luffy like this. He doesn't even care that Lami probably heard him, too blinded by his anger and the last bit of his self-restraint occupied with holding him back from strangling Monet on the spot. She can insult him all day long, he couldn't care less about that, but even the _implication_ of Luffy being nothing more than a plaything makes him sick to his stomach.

"You have no idea," he hisses in a low voice, "what the fuck you're talking about. You know nothing about my feelings for him and you have no goddamn right to come between us!"

"Feelings?" She asks a little perplexed, seemingly more startled by this than by his earlier outburst. 

"Yes, feelings. I know that's something you're incapable of, but that doesn't mean you get to sabotage _my_ love life, so mind your own damn business!"

Silence spreads around them. Law is breathing heavily, his heartbeat thrumming in his ears. If he's being honest, Law doesn't really know what he expects to happen now; the damage has been done already and maybe irreversibly so. He can only imagine how betrayed Luffy must have felt to hear all these things - from his ex at that too - and right after Law stole his first kiss from him. 

"Wow," Monet breathes out, "you're actually serious." At least she has the decency to look sorry now. "I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't know! Because you never asked, you just _assumed."_

"Law I- I'm sorry okay? I-"

"You can keep your apology," Law growls, "and shove it right up your ass. And now excuse me, I have some things to clear up."

With that he leaves her behind on the steps of her porch, and makes his way back to his car, hoping she's going to drown in her guilt.

Once his seatbelt is fastened, Law takes a few deep breaths. Adrenaline is still rushing through his veins and his heart feels like it's going to jump out of his chest. He tries to calm his nerves but his mind is racing. He might still have a chance. If Luffy is willing to hear him out, if he lets Law explain everything, then maybe they could work this out. And god, he never wanted anything so bad. He wants to hold him in his arms every night and fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. He wants to call Luffy _his!_

Taking his phone out of his pocket, Law dials Luffy's number and waits with bated breath, only to let out a frustrated huff when it's the voicemail that answers. 

But Law won't give up that easily, won't let Luffy slip from his grasp, not before he hasn't tried everything in his power to ensure getting the teen back in his arms. After all he's a determined man and for the first time in his life, he's willing to seek out his own happiness.

So he tosses the device carelessly on the passenger seat and starts the engine, driving through the pouring rain with only one destination in mind.

___________________

  
  


It's dark in his apartment expect for the dim light coming from the lamp next to the sofa. It flickers from time to time and Luffy takes a mental note to finally go and buy a new lightbulb. He glares at the damn thing as if it were the source of all his problems.

Hugging his knees a little tighter to his chest, he lets out a heavy sigh, startling when his phone starts buzzing. _Again._

Like the last few times he lets the call unanswered, not even sparing it a glance. It's probably Nami who wants to _talk._ Does she not understand that he just wants to be left alone to sulk in peace? And what is there even to talk about in the first place? Yeah she told him to call Law but... what good would that do? Law doesn't want him. Not in the same way as Luffy wants him.

His heart aches when he thinks back to the scene that played out earlier that day in the coffee shop; a beautiful woman hanging on Law's arm, looking at him as if he hung the moon and stars in the pitchblack night sky.

It hurts. _Fuck,_ it hurts so much.

And it's just not fair! Right when he decided to get over himself and confront Law, when he was ready to just spill all his feelings, that's when he had to see that Monet was right. All her words came back to slap him across the face and now he's just miserable and lonely. Being friends with Law will never be enough, he realized, but the thought of cutting him out of his life completely leaves his soul yearning.

He would miss Law's smile so much, that cocky one when he thinks that he's smarter than anyone else in the room, and usually is right about that too. Luffy likes that smile. His eyes he would miss too; the colour of molten gold that sets his skin on fire. And those lips - god, those lips - and Luffy will probably never taste them again.

Regret floods his body and it feels wrong because how could he ever regret kissing Law? 

Of course he will move on eventually - has to - and continue to live his life to the fullest. He will have his old friends and make new ones on the way. And one day maybe he will fall in love again, but it will leave a bitter taste on his tongue, he knows.

You never forget your first love.

It's silly because he doesn't even know Law that well, and yet meeting him felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He never even believed in soulmates, but what else do you call that one person that makes you happy with their presence alone? The one who pulls you in like a magnet and makes you feel so strongly that it scares you? Law is that person for him.

Luffy doesn't want to let go of that just yet. He wants to show Law that they would be so _good_ together, but he doesn't know shit about romance and even less about how to make someone fall for you. He's not good at flirting at all, he's just...he's just Luffy. But maybe being Luffy is not good enough this time.

Lost in thought, he almost misses the noise coming from his phone, the vibration slowly dying down, and then something hits his window. Luffy furrows his brows in confusion. He dismisses it as his imagination playing a trick on him but then it happens again.

His body moves faster than his brain can catch up; he's on his feet and by the window within seconds. A lightning bolt lights up the sky as he tears it open and what he sees then causes him to stumble forward, only barely able to catch his fall by holding onto the sill tightly.

"Law?!"

There he stands, illuminated by the headlights of his car, wearing a lopsided smile, an almost apologetic look on his face. His usually neatly styled hair is sticking to his face and even in the dark Luffy can make out how much he's shivering. "What are you doing?!" Luffy yells, hearing his blood rush in his ears.

"Well...here we are with our roles reversed. Don't let me stand here in the rain, you owe me that much."

Luffy feels like his brain just short-circuited, but he kicks back into action eventually. He slams the window shut again and makes a run for the door, not even bothering to close it behind him. 

So many questions are running through his head. What is Law doing here? What is Luffy supposed to tell him? Is he ready to face the man who haunts his every dream?

There's no time to think about all that though, because soon he's stepping outside, feeling the harsh rain like needles on his skin. His clothes are soaked shortly after and clingling uncomfortably to his body. Not that he cares about that, not when Law is standing in front of him; within an arm's reach and stripping him off all his defenses with his gaze alone.

"Hey," the older man says.

"Hey," Luffy answers, his voice lacking breath but not from how fast he sprinted down the stairs.

He feels like he should say something, but his mind has been wiped empty. It's rare that Monkey D. Luffy is at a loss for words but then again; Law just seems to have the talent of bringing out sides of him he hadn't known before. 

Luckily, Law decides to do the talking. 

"Luffy I'm sorry," he says, almost whispers, and takes a step forward. "I'm sorry for rushing things. I'm sorry that you had to deal with Monet. And most of all I'm sorry that I made you feel like you don't mean anything to me. Because you do, you mean a whole lot to me."

"Law…"

"No let me please… I know what Monet told you and I wish I could tell you that it was all a lie but," Luffy squeezes his eyes shut. He thinks he's not ready to hear what Law has to say. "-but the truth is that she's right - for the most part anyway. The girl you saw today, her name is Bonney, I've known her for years and we have this 'friends with benefits'-thing going on…"

He knew it, Luffy knew right when he saw her! That, however, doesn't make it hurt any less and suddenly he seems to not be able to get enough air in his lungs.

"Today I told her that I don't want this anymore."

At that Luffy looks up to meet Law's eyes. They are full of sorrow and something else that Luffy can't quite put his finger on. "Why?" is all he manages to croak out. He needs to hear it, needs to hear it from Law before he loses his sanity completely.

The older man smiles, and although it looks a bit pained, Luffy feels how the little flame of hope inside of him comes back to life. "Isn't it obvious? I'm falling for you." 

Luffy's heart stops. 

"And I'm scared, Luffy. I'm so scared because I never fell so hard before but… I don't want to be scared anymore. I want to be happy and you make me happy. You brighten my day just by being there and I can't stand it to see you sad. I want to see your beautiful smile. I want to be the reason for your smile. Fuck I- I'm not really good at this but I guess what I'm trying to say is: do you want this too? Me? I mean us? Because if you still want to give it a try-"

Luffy doesn't let him finish. He all but jumps into his arms, clinging onto him as if his life depends on it. A shaky laugh escapes his mouth as he presses his face into Law's chest, hands clutching his wet shirt tightly. It soon turns into a sob, a sob out of sheer joy, overwhelmed by his happiness. 

Law cups his cheeks and tilts his head up so that their eyes can meet. He strokes Luffy's cheeks gently with his thumb and answers his grin with a smile.

Wet lips finally find each other. It's needy and desperate, the way they kiss. Passionate and full of unspoken feelings, but for now it's enough.

Law is there with him and his lips taste like hope, and suddenly the world doesn't appear to be so bleak anymore.

For tomorrow, the weather forecast promised sun.


End file.
